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The Offerings
The Bullock for a Sin-Offering
Exod. 29:10-14; Lev. 8:14-17
The first offering brought by Moses was "the bullock for the sin-offering,"
or as it might be better rendered, "the bullock the sin." The word
"offering" is never found in the Hebrew, connected with the various
sacrifices.
"And Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock, the sin."
This word "laid" has sometimes the thought of laying, or leaning the
hand heavily—thus in Psa. 88:7, it is translated "thy wrath lieth hard upon me."
The priestly house had to become acquainted with the sin-offering. They were the first portion of Israel that ever knew an offering for sin. Hitherto every sacrifice which had been presented to God, from Abel downwards, had been a burnt-offering; and even when the covenant was confirmed by the shedding of blood, Exod. 24 that blood was procured from burnt-offerings and peace offerings. Thus an offering solely and peculiarly appropriated to sin, had never been known until the consecration of the priests. We must remember that this 8th chapter of Leviticus which we are
considering, in point of time, preceded the first seven chapters of that book, for the events therein related took place when the tabernacle was first set up. Exod. 40:12-15. Aaron and his sons by laying their hands heavily upon the head of the victim, recognized their identification with it, typically transferring their sin from off themselves, to the bullock thus appointed to bear it. It was like the act of faith in a sinner when he first trusts in Jesus, and who believes that his sin has been borne by Christ; like the verse of our well-known hymn,
"By faith I lay my hand,
On that dear head of thine,
Whilst like a penitent I stand.
And there confess my sin."
Moses then slew the bullock. Death at once followed the transfer of sin upon its head—death by the hand of another. Throughout this scene Moses seems to take the place of God—Aaron and his sons are completely passive—he deals with them as God commands.
The grand aspect of Christ's death is that He suffered at the hands of God. God provided the Lamb, "and it pleased the Lord to bruise him." God made "his soul an offering for sin."
Moses next took the blood, putting it on the horns of the altar, (of
burnt-offering) round about with his finger, thereby purifying the altar—and
poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it, to make
reconciliation upon it.
This action of putting the blood with the finger on the horns of the
brazen altar is confined to the blood of the sin-offering. Lev. 4:25, 30, 34.
It is perhaps expressive of a knowledge of the value of the blood, as to its
cleansing power—Moses the clean person handling it, and applying its value to the horns of the altar; the horns representing the power, or the strength of the altar. The blood of the sin-offering alone was poured at the
bottom of the altar. Exod. 29:12; Lev. 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34.
The altar was thus established upon blood—poured out blood was the very basis upon which it stood. It was Israel's place of access to God, where gifts also were presented. It was founded upon the blood shed. In Psa. 22:14, we have the blessed Lord on the cross uttering his deep sorrows in death to God, and saying, "I am poured out like water"—and again in Isa. 53:12, "he hath poured out (or emptied) his soul unto death." To this also the Lord makes allusion when on the night of His betrayal, "He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, (His disciples,) saying, drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matt. 26:27, 28; Mark 14:24. And again, "this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:20.
The great canon of truth "without shedding of blood is no remission," is here typically declared.
Three chief uses of the blood are emphatically declared in this 15th verse of Lev. 8, purification, sanctification, and reconciliation.
The word which we translate cleanse, or purify, is the same as is elsewhere translated "to sin"—only a little varied in its inflection. How
remarkably the Spirit of God calls our attention (even by the use of words) to the fact that we can only be cleansed from our sins, by the blood of Him
who was made sin. A serpent of brass raised up upon a pole, was presented to the eye of a dying Israelite, as the only object that could give him life, when he was suffering from the bite of a fiery serpent. Num. 21:8.
The blood put with the finger, purified. The blood poured out,
sanctified, and reconciled. So it is with the saved sinner. He is reconciled to God—atoned for by the shedding of the blood of Christ. Through that one offering also, he is sanctified; and the blood applied to his heart purges him from an evil conscience.
The priests had themselves first to realize the value of the blood; its power to purify, sanctify and atone, constituting them worshippers of God. After this they could present a sin-offering for other Israelites, with some appreciation of its value.
Portions of the bullock, all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul
above the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, were next burned upon the altar by Moses—but the bullock itself and his hide, his flesh, and his dung he burnt with fire without the camp.
Two distinct words are employed for these two burnings, and they are never interchanged. The one is always used when either the whole animal, or portions of it were burned upon the altar of burnt-offering; the other, when the victim was burnt for sin outside the camp. In the first the thought of a sweet savour going up to God is connected with the word. Incense is derived from it—we find it in the following cases.
The burnt-offerings. Lev. 1:9, 13, 15, 17.
Meat-offering. Lev. 2:2, 9, 16.
Parts of the peace sacrifice. Lev. 3:5, 11, 16.
Parts of the sin-offering. Lev. 4:10, 19, 26, 31, 35.
Incense. Exod. 30:7, 8; 40:27.
In the second the idea of fierce consuming fire is attached to it. It is
generally connected with the word fire; and is used for burning in wrath. For instance, where Nadab and Abihu were burnt, Lev. 10:6; Korah's company, Num. 16:37.
Its use is confined (amongst the sacrifices) to the consuming of the
sin-offering outside the camp. Exod. 29:14; Lev. 4:12, 21; 16:27, 28; and the red heifer, Num. 19:5.
In this beautiful type we have two thoughts inseparably connected together.
The death of the Lord Jesus under the wrath of God on account of sin, consumed like the victim outside the camp, at the same time that death was the odour of a sweet savour to God; like the portions burnt as incense on the altar of burnt-offering.
The third portion of the chapter closes here, with the words again repeated, "as the Lord commanded Moses."
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Bullock for a Sin-Offering
Exod. 29:10-14; Lev. 8:14-17
The first offering brought by Moses was "the bullock for the sin-offering,"
or as it might be better rendered, "the bullock the sin." The word
"offering" is never found in the Hebrew, connected with the various
sacrifices.
"And Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock, the sin."
This word "laid" has sometimes the thought of laying, or leaning the
hand heavily—thus in Psa. 88:7, it is translated "thy wrath lieth hard upon me."
The priestly house had to become acquainted with the sin-offering. They were the first portion of Israel that ever knew an offering for sin. Hitherto every sacrifice which had been presented to God, from Abel downwards, had been a burnt-offering; and even when the covenant was confirmed by the shedding of blood, Exod. 24 that blood was procured from burnt-offerings and peace offerings. Thus an offering solely and peculiarly appropriated to sin, had never been known until the consecration of the priests. We must remember that this 8th chapter of Leviticus which we are
considering, in point of time, preceded the first seven chapters of that book, for the events therein related took place when the tabernacle was first set up. Exod. 40:12-15. Aaron and his sons by laying their hands heavily upon the head of the victim, recognized their identification with it, typically transferring their sin from off themselves, to the bullock thus appointed to bear it. It was like the act of faith in a sinner when he first trusts in Jesus, and who believes that his sin has been borne by Christ; like the verse of our well-known hymn,
"By faith I lay my hand,
On that dear head of thine,
Whilst like a penitent I stand.
And there confess my sin."
Moses then slew the bullock. Death at once followed the transfer of sin upon its head—death by the hand of another. Throughout this scene Moses seems to take the place of God—Aaron and his sons are completely passive—he deals with them as God commands.
The grand aspect of Christ's death is that He suffered at the hands of God. God provided the Lamb, "and it pleased the Lord to bruise him." God made "his soul an offering for sin."
Moses next took the blood, putting it on the horns of the altar, (of
burnt-offering) round about with his finger, thereby purifying the altar—and
poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it, to make
reconciliation upon it.
This action of putting the blood with the finger on the horns of the
brazen altar is confined to the blood of the sin-offering. Lev. 4:25, 30, 34.
It is perhaps expressive of a knowledge of the value of the blood, as to its
cleansing power—Moses the clean person handling it, and applying its value to the horns of the altar; the horns representing the power, or the strength of the altar. The blood of the sin-offering alone was poured at the
bottom of the altar. Exod. 29:12; Lev. 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34.
The altar was thus established upon blood—poured out blood was the very basis upon which it stood. It was Israel's place of access to God, where gifts also were presented. It was founded upon the blood shed. In Psa. 22:14, we have the blessed Lord on the cross uttering his deep sorrows in death to God, and saying, "I am poured out like water"—and again in Isa. 53:12, "he hath poured out (or emptied) his soul unto death." To this also the Lord makes allusion when on the night of His betrayal, "He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, (His disciples,) saying, drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matt. 26:27, 28; Mark 14:24. And again, "this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:20.
The great canon of truth "without shedding of blood is no remission," is here typically declared.
Three chief uses of the blood are emphatically declared in this 15th verse of Lev. 8, purification, sanctification, and reconciliation.
The word which we translate cleanse, or purify, is the same as is elsewhere translated "to sin"—only a little varied in its inflection. How
remarkably the Spirit of God calls our attention (even by the use of words) to the fact that we can only be cleansed from our sins, by the blood of Him
who was made sin. A serpent of brass raised up upon a pole, was presented to the eye of a dying Israelite, as the only object that could give him life, when he was suffering from the bite of a fiery serpent. Num. 21:8.
The blood put with the finger, purified. The blood poured out,
sanctified, and reconciled. So it is with the saved sinner. He is reconciled to God—atoned for by the shedding of the blood of Christ. Through that one offering also, he is sanctified; and the blood applied to his heart purges him from an evil conscience.
The priests had themselves first to realize the value of the blood; its power to purify, sanctify and atone, constituting them worshippers of God. After this they could present a sin-offering for other Israelites, with some appreciation of its value.
Portions of the bullock, all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul
above the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, were next burned upon the altar by Moses—but the bullock itself and his hide, his flesh, and his dung he burnt with fire without the camp.
Two distinct words are employed for these two burnings, and they are never interchanged. The one is always used when either the whole animal, or portions of it were burned upon the altar of burnt-offering; the other, when the victim was burnt for sin outside the camp. In the first the thought of a sweet savour going up to God is connected with the word. Incense is derived from it—we find it in the following cases.
The burnt-offerings. Lev. 1:9, 13, 15, 17.
Meat-offering. Lev. 2:2, 9, 16.
Parts of the peace sacrifice. Lev. 3:5, 11, 16.
Parts of the sin-offering. Lev. 4:10, 19, 26, 31, 35.
Incense. Exod. 30:7, 8; 40:27.
In the second the idea of fierce consuming fire is attached to it. It is
generally connected with the word fire; and is used for burning in wrath. For instance, where Nadab and Abihu were burnt, Lev. 10:6; Korah's company, Num. 16:37.
Its use is confined (amongst the sacrifices) to the consuming of the
sin-offering outside the camp. Exod. 29:14; Lev. 4:12, 21; 16:27, 28; and the red heifer, Num. 19:5.
In this beautiful type we have two thoughts inseparably connected together.
The death of the Lord Jesus under the wrath of God on account of sin, consumed like the victim outside the camp, at the same time that death was the odour of a sweet savour to God; like the portions burnt as incense on the altar of burnt-offering.
The third portion of the chapter closes here, with the words again repeated, "as the Lord commanded Moses."
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Ram for the Burnt-Offering
Exod. 29:15-18; Lev. 8:18-21
Next "he brought the ram for the burnt-offering." The burnt-offering is the
highest sacrifice in Scripture, for all of it ascended from off the fire of the
altar as a sweet savour unto the Lord. The Hebrew word (ohlah)
translated "burnt-offering," means in reality that which
"ascends," or "goes up." It designates a sacrifice which entirely
ascended in fragrance. Noah's offerings when he came out from the ark into the new world, were of this character. Gen. 8:20, 22. "The Lord smelled a sweet savour," or as it is in the margin, "a savour of rest," and said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more every thing living as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Abraham was also directed to offer Isaac for a "burnt-offering." Gen. 22:2-13.
Whilst God's perfect rest, satisfaction and delight in this sacrifice were
expressed by its all ascending as a sweet savour; the devotedness also, and perfect obedience of Him whom it pourtrayed, are implied in the words recorded of the offerer, Lev. 1:3, "he shall offer it of his own voluntary will." And throughout this 8th chap. of Lev. the words "and he brought," vv.
14, 18, 22, express the readiness of the victim to draw near the altar, like the phrase, Isa. 53:7, "he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter;" or as it
is in Acts 8:32, "he was led as a sheep to the slaughter."
In the Gospel of John we have this Scripture remarkably fulfilled. "And they led him away to Annas first—then led they Jesus from Caiaphas."
Chap. 18:13, 28. "Then came Jesus forth wearing the crown of thorns. He brought Jesus forth. They took Jesus and led him away. And he, bearing his cross, went forth." 19:5, 13, 16, 17.
"And Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram, and killed it," vv. 18, 19.
Again, they identified themselves with the victim. All their sins and
failures in obedience being transferred from themselves to it. Immediately this was done, Moses killed the ram. Death instantly succeeded the laying of their hands upon its head.
"And Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about." Thus the altar was completely consecrated by blood. Blood had been put upon the horns of it round about; had been poured at the bottom of it, and now was sprinkled round about it. The top base, and sides presented in every direction the records of death; for there can be no access to God, and no worship, save through death, he death of Christ.
"And he cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar," vv. 20, 21.
Every portion of the ram came under the eye of Moses. The head, the seat of mind and intellect: the inwards, the seat of the will and affections: the legs
the tokens of the outward walk and conduct. All were scrutinized, and presented in perfect cleanness to God, upon the altar. The type this of the unblemished ways, and spotless intrinsic purity of Christ.
"In Him is no sin." 1 John 3:5.
"He knew no sin." 2 Cor. 5:21.
"He did no sin." 1 Pet. 2:22.
And though tempted in all points like as we are, He was "without sin." Heb. 4:15. A blessed fourfold testimony to the perfection of Christ.
But this is not all. Not only sinless, so as to be personally ignorant of sin;
without it under every temptation; and never doing it; but actively devoting
Himself to God throughout the whole course of His life on earth, and at last in perfect subjection and obedience, yielding up that life on the cross; giving "Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." Eph. 5:2. In all the full value of Him, who thus gave Himself, we are accepted. The same burnt-offering whose blood was poured out as an atonement for sin, was burnt as a sweet savour upon the altar. And the priests who laid their hands upon it, found remission of sin through the shedding of its blood, and at the same time perfect acceptance with God, according to the full value of the spotless victim consumed on the altar.
Although the sin-offering presented most strongly and vividly the aspect of Christ's death under wrath, because of sin, yet even in that case portions of the sacrifice were burnt as a sweet savour upon the altar. And the burnt-offering, which has regard more especially to the death of Christ as that through which we are perfectly justified, and according to the value of which we are accepted of God; still keeps in view the fact, that that death has also atoned for us as sinners. In the shedding of blood, sin, the cause of death, is always acknowledged. And as without shedding of blood there could be no remission; so also, there can be no justification but by the blood. The song of (Rev. 5:9, 12) is, "Thou art worthy.....for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," seems especially to contemplate the
death of the Lord Jesus, in all the value of the burnt-offering. We claim His
worthiness, whilst we own our worthlessness. We are accepted in the Beloved, whilst in ourselves, "we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
The fourth part of the chapter here concludes with the same words before
repeated, "as the Lord commanded Moses."
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
Exod. 29:15-18; Lev. 8:18-21
Next "he brought the ram for the burnt-offering." The burnt-offering is the
highest sacrifice in Scripture, for all of it ascended from off the fire of the
altar as a sweet savour unto the Lord. The Hebrew word (ohlah)
translated "burnt-offering," means in reality that which
"ascends," or "goes up." It designates a sacrifice which entirely
ascended in fragrance. Noah's offerings when he came out from the ark into the new world, were of this character. Gen. 8:20, 22. "The Lord smelled a sweet savour," or as it is in the margin, "a savour of rest," and said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more every thing living as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Abraham was also directed to offer Isaac for a "burnt-offering." Gen. 22:2-13.
Whilst God's perfect rest, satisfaction and delight in this sacrifice were
expressed by its all ascending as a sweet savour; the devotedness also, and perfect obedience of Him whom it pourtrayed, are implied in the words recorded of the offerer, Lev. 1:3, "he shall offer it of his own voluntary will." And throughout this 8th chap. of Lev. the words "and he brought," vv.
14, 18, 22, express the readiness of the victim to draw near the altar, like the phrase, Isa. 53:7, "he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter;" or as it
is in Acts 8:32, "he was led as a sheep to the slaughter."
In the Gospel of John we have this Scripture remarkably fulfilled. "And they led him away to Annas first—then led they Jesus from Caiaphas."
Chap. 18:13, 28. "Then came Jesus forth wearing the crown of thorns. He brought Jesus forth. They took Jesus and led him away. And he, bearing his cross, went forth." 19:5, 13, 16, 17.
"And Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram, and killed it," vv. 18, 19.
Again, they identified themselves with the victim. All their sins and
failures in obedience being transferred from themselves to it. Immediately this was done, Moses killed the ram. Death instantly succeeded the laying of their hands upon its head.
"And Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about." Thus the altar was completely consecrated by blood. Blood had been put upon the horns of it round about; had been poured at the bottom of it, and now was sprinkled round about it. The top base, and sides presented in every direction the records of death; for there can be no access to God, and no worship, save through death, he death of Christ.
"And he cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar," vv. 20, 21.
Every portion of the ram came under the eye of Moses. The head, the seat of mind and intellect: the inwards, the seat of the will and affections: the legs
the tokens of the outward walk and conduct. All were scrutinized, and presented in perfect cleanness to God, upon the altar. The type this of the unblemished ways, and spotless intrinsic purity of Christ.
"In Him is no sin." 1 John 3:5.
"He knew no sin." 2 Cor. 5:21.
"He did no sin." 1 Pet. 2:22.
And though tempted in all points like as we are, He was "without sin." Heb. 4:15. A blessed fourfold testimony to the perfection of Christ.
But this is not all. Not only sinless, so as to be personally ignorant of sin;
without it under every temptation; and never doing it; but actively devoting
Himself to God throughout the whole course of His life on earth, and at last in perfect subjection and obedience, yielding up that life on the cross; giving "Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." Eph. 5:2. In all the full value of Him, who thus gave Himself, we are accepted. The same burnt-offering whose blood was poured out as an atonement for sin, was burnt as a sweet savour upon the altar. And the priests who laid their hands upon it, found remission of sin through the shedding of its blood, and at the same time perfect acceptance with God, according to the full value of the spotless victim consumed on the altar.
Although the sin-offering presented most strongly and vividly the aspect of Christ's death under wrath, because of sin, yet even in that case portions of the sacrifice were burnt as a sweet savour upon the altar. And the burnt-offering, which has regard more especially to the death of Christ as that through which we are perfectly justified, and according to the value of which we are accepted of God; still keeps in view the fact, that that death has also atoned for us as sinners. In the shedding of blood, sin, the cause of death, is always acknowledged. And as without shedding of blood there could be no remission; so also, there can be no justification but by the blood. The song of (Rev. 5:9, 12) is, "Thou art worthy.....for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," seems especially to contemplate the
death of the Lord Jesus, in all the value of the burnt-offering. We claim His
worthiness, whilst we own our worthlessness. We are accepted in the Beloved, whilst in ourselves, "we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
The fourth part of the chapter here concludes with the same words before
repeated, "as the Lord commanded Moses."
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Ram of Consecration
Exod. 29:19, 20; Lev. 8:22-24
The last sacrifice offered was "the Ram of Consecration." Two rams were
brought, (v. 1;) one was offered for a burnt-offering, and the other is called "the ram of consecrations;" or, of filling (the hands.) The word consecrations is in the plural, and is found in Exod. 29:22, 26, 27: "for it is a ram of consecrations"—"the ram of Aaron's consecrations"—"the ram of the consecrations." Lev. 8:22, 29. In Exod. 29:34, the word occurs in the plural—"flesh of the consecrations," as it ought to be throughout.
Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of this ram, and Moses slew it, as in the two former cases. The death of the victim following immediately upon this act of identification.
"And Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right
ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet." Thus the ear, the right hand, and the right foot of Aaron and his sons, were dedicated to God by blood. From henceforth their ear was to listen to no sounds, but such as might be heard in connection with the blood of the sacrifice.
So also the believer at the present time. His ear has been consecrated to
God, through the death of Christ, that he might hearken to His voice; inclining his ear to hear heavenly words; and listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd. He is to allow no whispers of temptation, and no sound of human revelry or ambition, to enter his priestly ear: but to be deaf as his Lord was, opening the ears of others, whilst He Himself heard not the temptations of the enemy. Isa. 42:19, 20. That perfect servant of Jehovah was blind and deaf—blind to all fascinations of the world, and deaf to every suggestion of Satan. And when at last led to the slaughter, He was dumb, uttering no words of reviling or threatening when falsely accused; not opening His mouth when buffetted, spit upon, mocked, and crucified.
May we set before ourselves the blessed example of our Lord, and remember that by His blood we have a priestly circumcised ear.
The thumbs of the right hand were also touched with the blood. The right
hand is in Scripture used to express power. "Thy right hand, O Lord,
is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy." "Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them." Exod. 15:6, 12.
And also skill. "A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart, at his left." Eccl. 10:2. That is, he guides the activities of his hand with wisdom: he is prompt also to execute the counsels of his heart.
"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget (her cunning.) Psa.
137:5. The psalmist finds it as impossible to forget Jerusalem,
as it would be impossible for his right hand not to act with rapidity and
skill at the prompting of his will.
The thumb is that part which peculiarly distinguishes the human hand from the paw of those animals, which in appearance most resemble the human form. It is the most valuable finger of the hand; without it, this member of the body would be comparatively useless.
The priestly hand touched with the blood was consecrated to handle gifts and sacrifices for God. Its skilfulness was devoted to the Lord's service, and the priest was not to touch any unclean or dead thing. Another beautiful type of the occupations of the believer, whose business in life is to serve God in all that he undertakes. Even when handling the things of this world, he is to do so to God's glory. His faculties, his powers of mind and body, are for the Lord; the precious blood has separated him off to God, and the most ordinary actions of life, which as an unbeliever he performed in self-will, and for mere self-pleasing, he is now to do "to the glory of God."
In all things he is to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;" and strange as it may seem, he is not to labour for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. This latter precept of the Lord Jesus has been softened down by some to mean, that "we are not to labour inordinately, or exclusively, for the meat which perisheth, and that if the text were taken without some qualification, it would encourage idleness." In answer to this, it may be said that we have no right to qualify the text. The words of the Lord are distinct and emphatic, "labour not for the meat which perisheth."
The difficulty is easily solved. We are, even in the necessary occupations of life, to make the Lord's glory our object, and not to be labouring for the meat which perisheth, as if that were our only purpose. We are to do all
things in such a way, that we may be exhibiting ourselves as sons of God without rebuke, shining as lights in the world. Phil. 2:14, 15; and we are not to live as if we had two existences, a secular, and a religious.
Lastly, the blood was put upon the great toes of their right feet The Hebrew word is the same for great toe as for thumb. The principal finger of the most active hand, and the principal toe of the most active foot, were alike touched with the blood. No pathway was to be followed, in which the priest could not walk with the blood anointed foot. His feet being holy, he was ever to tread upon holy ground, passing his life in the precincts of the sanctuary. So the priests to God of the present time are to be careful in their walk and conduct, lest they be found treading unholy paths, mingling themselves in the world's follies and amusements, forgetful of the blood whereby they have been sanctified. Our feet were naturally swift to shed blood—destruction and misery were in our ways—the way of peace we once knew not. Rom. 3:15, 17. Now, our path is to be that of the righteous;
our feet are to be beautiful, as messengers of glad tidings; our ways are to be ways of pleasantness and peace May we avoid all companies into which we cannot go with the blood sprinkled feet; into which we cannot carry the good news of the blessed name of Jesus. The ear, the hand, and the foot are the Lord's. "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Cor. 6:19, 20.
Moses next "sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about." v. 24. The same blood which had been put upon the priests, was sprinkled on the altar. Thus the vessel at which they habitually ministered was alike separated off to God with themselves. The patterns of things in the heavens being purified with these typical sacrifices, whilst the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Heb. 9:23
Exod. 29:22-28; Lev. 8:25-29
Seven portions of the ram were thus taken by Moses: the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder.
The word for "fat" has especial reference to the inside fat of the victim,
and is in the margin of Lev. 3:3, translated "suet." Three portions of
fat were taken; the fat, all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the fat of
the kidneys. This proved the healthiness, the inward vigour of the animal. No human eye could perceive this development of life, until the victim had been slain. Beautiful figure this of the complete devotedness of Christ, as to all His inward affections, and will, and desires, to please God; He could say, "I delight to do thy will O my God—yea thy law is within my heart." Psa. 40:8. The truth of this wonderful inner life, in all its richness and fulness dedicated to God, was made manifest when the Lord hung upon the tree, "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
We can now look back upon the life and ways of the blessed Lord, and see in them that humbling of Himself; that dedication to God; that one object of pursuit, to glorify God; the one motive of His heart, which He finally so marvellously displayed in laying down His life at the commandment of His Father. He that discerneth the thoughts and intents of the heart, could be appealed to by Christ in the words of Psa. 139:23, "search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my
thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me," or (margin) "way of pain or grief." He could challenge the eyes of Him to whom all things are naked and opened, to search His inmost soul, well knowing that there was not a thought within, which would grieve His Father, but that He would have the ready response, "my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."—"mine elect in whom my soul delighteth." Love to God being the pure motive from which all His actions took their rise, He could with truth say, "I do always those things that please him." John 8:29. Blessed perfectness, sinless purity, unswerving obedience! How contrasted with the mixed motives, the unclean desires, the constant unbelief and disobedience which meet the eye of our heavenly Father, as He marks our thoughts and intents, as He searches our purposes and our ways.
"The caul above the liver." It will be perceived on referring to the margin
of the Bible, that "midriff" is substituted for "caul." Exod. 29:13; Lev. 3:4. And this probably is the right translation, midriff, or diaphragm, being the portion here specified. This is a muscular membrane, dividing the body into two parts, and is the great organ by means of which the breath is inhaled. It is in the type always mentioned in close connection with the liver.
The word "above," or upon the liver is used in Exod. 29:13; Lev 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; 7:4; 9:10. This word "above" is omitted in Exod. 29:22; Lev. 8:16, 25; 9:19, in which passages, the caul would almost seem to be identified with the liver.
Thus the organ by which the victim breathed, (the midriff,) and which was
closely connected with that (the liver) wherein gall and bitterness were
naturally secreted, was wholly presented to God. In the Antitype the whole power of His inner life, every breath He drew was altogether for God—and there was no gall or bitterness in Him; no envy or malice to taint the inward feelings of His soul. He was "meek and lowly in heart."
Two other portions, "the rump, and the two kidneys," were also selected. The kidneys are elsewhere translated, reins. God is said to try, to search,
and to see the heart and reins. Psa. 7:9; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; 20:12. He searches the inward motive, and the secret affection. The hidden desire is known to Him. The Lord Jesus could appeal to the judgment of God, and say, "Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord: I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." Psa. 26:1, 2. He was the only one who could claim an integrity of His own. And this word integrity is interesting, because it is almost the same as the Thummim; the perfections, the uprightnesses, placed in the breastplate His inward perfections were the power of His outward walk—like the upper and hinder part of the victim's legs, presented with the kidneys. So also He could say, "I shall not slide." His own integrity, and His ceaseless trust in Jehovah preserved His foot in an even place. And not only so, but when proved and tried, yea, and scorched with the refining fire of God's holiness,
His reins and His heart were fit for the altar, and yielded nothing but the
sweetest savour to God.
The word, try my reins and my heart, is that used for the refining of
metals in the furnace. This blessed one could also say, "I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the right seasons." Psa. 16:7. The counsel He received from Jehovah found an immediate response from His own will. And in that one night of fearful sorrow, that unnatural night—when the sun was darkened at noon-day, His own desire to accomplish the commandment of God, instructed Him to lay down His life of Himself, even though in so doing He had to bear sin and shame, and curse and wrath.
Wondrous perfection, when the inward will and strength of the Son of Man, answered completely the mind and purpose and counsel of God.
The right shoulder completed these precious portions of the ram of
consecrations, expressive of the power patiently to endure, all that might be laid upon the victim by the hands of another.
There was strength in Jesus adequate to the heavy burden laid upon Him by God—in nothing did He fail. He bore the weight of our sins upon the tree, till He knew that the stripes of God upon His soul had reached the appointed number, and till the bruising of Jehovah ended in His yielding up the ghost. God could, according to the infinite measure of His own holiness, and His infinite judgment upon sin, say, "it is enough." The burden had been borne—the chastisement of our peace was completed. The strength of the blessed victim had sufficed, and the body of the Lord laid in the tomb in the helplessness of death, witnessed that sin was put away, and remitted—and that the great object which from all eternity had been in the counsels of God, was completed. The way of access for
the sinner to the glory was made—the way into the holiest was laid open.
Moses next took out of the basket three sorts of bread—one unleavened
cake—one unleavened cake mingled with oil—and one wafer, unleavened, anointed with oil.
Leaven is universally used in Scripture, as a type of sin spreading its
corrupting influence. A secret working of evil, which may not be outwardly
manifest, but which arises from a corrupt nature within. All types therefore of the blessed Lord, which refer to Him as the bread from heaven, are without leaven. No leaven could be burnt on the altar in any offering of the Lord made by fire; because God could not accept a sacrifice in which there was the slightest taint or corruption.
Three aspects of Christ as the bread of life are presented to us in these
three portions selected from the basket of unleavened bread:—First, His sinless purity, the unleavened cake. Next, as the Christ of God—from His birth filled with the Holy Ghost, the unleavened cake mingled with oil; and thirdly, as anointed by the Holy Ghost with power to accomplish the most minute precept of God, the unleavened wafer, anointed with oil. He is the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth—the true bread from heaven—the bread of life—the living bread—the bread of God—the bread which God has provided. The sixth chapter of John seems to be the Lord's
exposition of the manna, and the meat-offerings. And we find in that chapter, He mingles the thought of flesh and blood with bread. "The bread that I will give is my flesh."—"whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life."—"for my flesh is true meat, and my blood is true drink."—"he that eateth me even he shall live by me."—"this is that bread which came down from heaven—he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever," verses 51, 54, 55, 57, 58. Thus the Lord closely connects the fact of
His death, with His being the bread of life. Indeed there is no feeding on
Christ except in close connection with His death on the cross. The contemplation of His life of perfect obedience, will not avail us, or strengthen our souls to follow His example, unless we connect such meditations with the sacrifice of Himself upon the tree. These cakes therefore were presented to God, already baken in the oven—a type of Christ contemplated in His death.
Filling the hands. Moses put these unleavened cakes "on the fat, and
on the right shoulder, and put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord," verses 26, 27.
Here we have an explanation of the word "consecrations"—in the Hebrew
literally—"filings" (of the hand)
The word is used in the following connections:
"The ram of consecrations." Exod. 29:22, 26, 27; Lev. 8:22, 29.
"The flesh of the consecrations." Exod. 29:34.
"Basket of consecrations." Lev. 8:31.
"Days of consecrations." Lev. 8:33.
"Consecrations for a sweet savour." Lev. 8:28.
The peculiar meatoffering recorded in Lev. 6:19-23, which was offered by Aaron and his sons on the day when he was anointed, is also called "consecrations." Lev. 7:37.
Aaron's hands and his sons' hands were filled with parts of the ram, and the unleavened cakes. They handled the most precious portions of the sacrifice—thus appreciating their value; their hands had previously been laid upon the heads of the victims, and thereby they had in figure transferred their own sin, guilt, and need to those victims. 80 these hands thus emptied of their own guiltiness, were then filled with peculiarly choice parts of the slain ram, and with unleavened cakes of fine wheat flour—wondrous transfer! May we behold by faith, all our sin and misery laid on Jesus crucified, and may we have our hearts filled with contemplations of His preciousness.
We may be assured that our hands and hearts will be occupied with one thing, or another. Either the world with its vanities, and the flesh with its lusts will take their place within—or Christ and His comeliness, His beauty, His perfections, will fill our souls.
It seems as if the priests were waved with their hands thus filled, as a
wave-offering before God. The attention of Jehovah was called to contemplate them. His eyes might be invited to search them, because their hands were filled with the costly consecrations. They were identified with, and became one with the hallowed things which they handled. This was one peculiar and especial part of priestly consecration. The priests had to estimate for themselves the value of the sacrifices, and to handle various portions thereof, that they might know how to approach and worship God, and might stand in the place of intercession for others.
The apostle John opens his epistle with a declaration of somewhat of this
priestly experience, "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us—that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." 1 John 1:1-3.
We have first to know for ourselves, and to see for ourselves, and as it were to touch and handle for ourselves the sacrifice, in its sweet savour and acceptableness to God; before we can testify to others of its value, or can worship God in spirit and in truth. A witness must not ground his testimony upon mere hearsay reports which he has received from others; but must himself know and comprehend the facts to which he testifies. The Lord Himself in speaking to Nicodemus says, "verily, verily I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness." John 3:11. He speaks in the plural number,
including all true witnesses with Himself, the faithful and true witness.
Are our hands so filled with Christ, are our hearts so occupied with Him,
that we have no desire to meddle with the things of the world, and that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh?
All these parts of the sacrifice, and the unleavened bread, which had filled
the hands of the priests were taken by Moses "from off their hands and burnt on the altar, upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour,
it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord," v. 28.
The priests were by this act identified before the Lord with the
burnt-offering, and accepted according to its sweet savour. They had been
cleansed, atoned for, personally dedicated, had their hands filled, and were accepted, in the full value of the offerings which had been presented on their behalf to God, and according to the preciousness of the blood shed for them. One portion of the ram of consecration was especially reserved for Moses: he "waved the breast before the Lord, for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part," v. 29.
Throughout this scene Moses acted on the part of Jehovah—as a substitute accurately fulfilling His commands. And the breast of the ram of consecrations became his portion on that account. He was to enter with something like the estimate of God, into the love of Him, who was portrayed in these sacrifices. The breast is a type of the seat of the affections. To God alone primarily belong the affections of Christ. To the Son of God alone primarily belong the affections of God.
Who can estimate, save the Father, the love of His Son;and who can enter, save the Son, into the full understanding of the love of the Father?
And yet, wondrous grace! we hear the Lord saying, "thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me"—and it is said by the Holy Spirit of Him, "He loved us and gave Himself for us." God has given to us to know the love of Jesus towards us. He has given us His own heart's affections, and the affections of His Son. And Jesus has revealed to us the deep secret of the cross, viz., that it was love for the Father, and love for us because we are loved of the Father, that led Him to lay down His life. O mystery of love! the subject for our everlasting contemplation, and for our eternal fellowship and joy.
Here closes the fifth portion of the chapter with the words again repeated,
"as the Lord commanded Moses."
Exod. 29:21; Lev. 8:30
If we compare the parallel passage in Exod. 29:21, we shall find a remarkable alteration both in the arrangement of the verses, and in the order in which the blood stands It will be observed in the passage in Exodus, that this sprinkling upon Aaron and his garments, is placed immediately after the blood is put upon Aaron's right ear, etc.; and the filling of the hands of Aaron and his sons comes afterwards.
In this chapter of Leviticus which we are contemplating, the hands of the
priests are filled before the sprinkling takes place; and immediately after
their ears, etc., are touched with the blood. In Exodus also the blood is
mentioned before the oil. In Leviticus the anointing oil precedes the blood.
There may be a purpose in this variation, to link so closely together the
anointing oil and the blood, and the blood and the anointing oil, that we may not either sever the one from the other, or give precedence to one before the other.
There has been a thought expressed by some of the Lord's people, that there may be an interval of time, between the salvation of a sinner through the application of the precious blood of Christ to his heart and conscience, and the anointing of the Holy Ghost. There has also been a tendency in writers on the work of the Holy Spirit, to attribute redemption to Christ, and sanctification to the Holy Spirit exclusively. The type we are contemplating negatives both these suppositions.
Immediately the sinner believes on the Lord Jesus he is born again; the power of the Holy Ghost communicating to him life and faith in Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. The same Spirit baptizes him at the same moment into the one body, and he receives the Holy Ghost as the indwelling Spirit of God, because he is a child of God, and is united to the living Christ, the Son of God, a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones But besides this establishing of the believer in Christ, he is also anointed with the Spirit of God. He is united to a Christ, an anointed one, and therefore has the Spirit of God. And he also receives a special anointing of the Spirit, enabling him to fulfil his duties as a member of the body, and giving him a gift in accordance with that membership.
The Spirit of God is also the seal, or stamp of God, upon the believer,
proving by His very presence with, and in the believer, that he is a child of
God—that he is a new creation of God—a deed executed by God—a fiat of God's love and power. The Spirit also is the earnest in the believer's heart of the future glory—a pledge from the right hand of the throne of God—from the risen Christ, of the glorious resurrection which shall be his when Christ returns. An earnest of the bright inheritance which awaits him, and which will be his in possession when Jesus comes.
The anointing oil and the blood go together. Redemption through the blood of Christ, and the anointing of the Spirit, are simultaneous. "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Cor. 1:21, 22.
"In whom (Christ) ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the
Gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Eph. 1:13, 14.
In this passage the words "after ye believed," do not imply any interval of
time: they might better be rendered, "in whom having believed, ye were sealed;" or, according to our English idiom, we should insert the word, "and;" "in whom ye believed and were sealed." Here the presence of the Holy Ghost with, and in the believer as God's seal, and as the earnest of the glory, is immediate upon faith.
We have a striking illustration of this in the case of Cornelius and his
household, recorded in Acts 10. An interval had elapsed between
the conversion of the Jewish believers, and the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them at Pentecost. But there was no such interval in the case of these first Gentile converts. Immediately Peter in his discourse had reached the point where he declared that "through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins; while he yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." Or as Peter himself declares, when subsequently relating the circumstance—"And as I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." Acts 11:15. The word of faith was heard and believed, and the Spirit of God at once attested the fact by His presence and anointing. It is also interesting to remark that Peter made use of the words "whosoever believeth in him," the very words of the Lord Jesus Himself, when preaching the Gospel to Nicodemus.
Sanctified.-- Let us turn now to the subject of sanctification. It may
be observed that the object of the whole ritual described in Exod. 29 and Lev. 8 was to sanctify Aaron and his sons, in order that they might be priests. "And this is the thing that thou shalt do to hallow (or sanctify) them." And this sanctification is expressly repeated in connection with the blood and the oil: "And he shall be hallowed, (sanctified,) and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him." Exod. 29:21. "And sanctified Aaron and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments. with him." Lev. 8:30. The sacrifices, the blood, and the
oil, were the means employed in this sanctification.
Sanctification implies separation "from," and separation "to."
Separation from sin and sinners, unto a holy God. A very concise
and yet full definition of this occurs in Lev. 20:26. "And ye shall be holy unto me; for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." Israel had been severed from Egypt, and set apart to God in distinctness from all other nations of the earth. This separation had been effected through judgment. They had been redeemed from wrath, through the blood of the Paschal Lamb; and had been redeemed out of Egypt and from Pharaoh's power, through the
waters of the Red Sea.
Thus they had been sanctified to God. The family of the priests were still
further sanctified; being separated from the rest of Israel, and brought
peculiarly nigh to God. The believer is by the blood of the Lamb, separated from the flesh, from sin, from the world, to be a child of God, a king and priest; quickened together with Christ, risen with Christ, one with Christ, and therefore holy unto God his Father.
The Word of God speaks of sanctification as effected either by the will of
God; by the Holy Spirit as the agent; by the offering of Christ as the means; or, by the Word of God, as the instrument.
By the will of God—"by the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Heb. 10:10.
This passage attributes sanctification to the eternal purpose of God, whose will it was to separate to Himself a family of priests; and the way in which He was able to accomplish His will was through Christ coming to do it, and offering up Himself as a sacrifice for sin.
Paul, when relating before Agrippa the history of his wonderful conversion, gives a striking summary of the commission he then received from the Lord, to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles: "To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:18.
Faith in Christ is here declared, by the Lord Jesus Himself, to be the
sanctifying power; separating off the Gentile to be holy to the Lord, and to an inheritance with the saints in light. It is a "most holy faith," through which we Gentile sinners have been severed from the world around us, to be God's holy ones; and it is a "most holy faith" upon which we, thus sanctified, are to be constantly building ourselves. Jude 20.
In Jude, v.1, we have sanctification attributed to God the Father, or
rather, the passage may be rendered, "sanctified in God the Father;" the
security of the believer is contemplated, for he is looked at as holy, because of his union with the Father and the Son.
We find the phrase "called saints" occurring more than once in the
epistles. In our version the words "to be" are unhappily inserted; they
tend to impair the real force of the expression. We are actually made "saints," or holy ones by God's call; for we are "Holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling."
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 Tim. 1:9. "Ye also are the called of Jesus Christ, beloved of God, called saints." Rom 1:6, 7. "All things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Rom. 8:28. "To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints." 1 Cor. 1:2. "Preserved in Jesus Christ, called." Jude 1. From all these passages it is clear God's call is not an exhortation from Him to us, requiring us to accomplish a holiness of our own, but that His calling is His own effectual act, separating us as holy
ones to Himself. We are partakers of His calling; we are saints, made so by His calling. The voice of His power sounding effectually in our hearts, has transformed us from sinners to saints, has created us anew in Christ Jesus. We cannot be too particular as to this truth—for on the one hand there is a kind of inherent notion that in some way or other death purifies the sinner and makes him holy; and on the other hand there is a common belief even amongst the children of God, that the work of the Holy Ghost in the believer gradually renders him more holy, and more fit for heaven. Both these very current opinions are contrary to God's truth. A believer in Jesus is not sanctified by death, but he is sanctified in Christ Jesus. Neither is it any gradual operation of the Holy Ghost in us that makes us holy, so as to render us fit for God and His glory. The song in the glory will be "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," and has "redeemed us to God by His blood."
The sinner is already saved through faith in the Lord Jesus, and has to give thanks to the Father that already "He hath made him meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light;" that already "He hath delivered him from the power of darkness, and hath translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son;" "In whom" (His Son) already "he hath redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin." Col. 1:12-14.
Sanctification attributed to the Holy Spirit—"that the offering up of the
Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." Rom. 15:16. The apostle speaks of himself as a priest presenting to God a meatoffering of the Gentiles; like the new meatoffering on the day of Pentecost, when two wave loaves were waved before God as bread of firstfruits.
This type of firstfruits was fulfilled as regards the Jews on the day of
Pentecost. There were no Gentiles present when the Holy Ghost was poured out. Paul being especially the apostle to the Gentiles, and writing his epistle to believers dwelling in the ruling Gentile city of the world, speaks of the presentation to God of Gentiles converted through his preaching, as a similar meatoffering; sanctified by the Holy Ghost; manifested as holy, by the presence and indwelling of that blessed Spirit. Like the oil poured upon a meatoffering.
Again, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thess. 2:13.
And, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:2.
In both these texts, the Spirit is presented as separating off in holiness
the believer through belief in the truth in the first case; and in the latter,
separating him off unto the obedience of faith, and unto the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit being the agent employed by God the Father to accomplish His will, in communicating faith in the precious blood of Christ to the sinner, in order to his salvation.
Sanctification is attributed to Christ. "Christ loved the Church and gave
himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word." Eph. 5:25, 26.
The Lord's death is presented to us in this passage as accomplished by
Himself, that He might thereby sanctify and cleanse the Church. The cleansing power of the blood being applied by the word of God.
The Lord Jesus is also called the Sanctifier, "both he that sanctifieth, and
they who are sanctified are all of one—for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." Heb. 2:11. And the means whereby He accomplishes this is His own precious blood—"Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate." Heb. 13:12.
And believers are of God, "in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." A very blessed passage tracing our new creation up to God, in union with Christ, and telling us that Christ is made to us the full and blessed treasury of all wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption. If we lack wisdom, God has given us all wisdom in Jesus. If we are conscious of unrighteousness, Christ is our righteousness. If we are conscious of our unholiness, He is our sanctification. If we look around us upon the world and find ourselves differing but little from the unredeemed, He is our redemption. We are in God's sight severed as far from this world, and as distinct from it, as the Lord Jesus Himself is at the right hand of God.
The Lord Jesus Himself was separated off as God's elect and sent into the world—that holy one, the Son of God. John 10:36. And He sanctified Himself for our sakes—separating Himself unto God through the death of the cross, that we might be sanctified through the truth. His prayer to the Father was, "sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." John 17:17.
The Holy Spirit uses the word of God, first to communicate life in separation to God; and next, to cleanse us practically from the defilements and uncleannesses constantly attaching to us through the flesh, and the world.
Practical holiness in our walk and conversation is only to be obtained through the word of God under the power of the Spirit of God. We are saints, we are holy, we are washed, we are sanctified, we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. We have to be practically clean, and practically holy—and that through the same power and means by which we have been already saved. The word of God, testifying to the precious blood of Christ, applied by the Spirit of God. Thus the oil and the blood are inseparable. The Holy Ghost testifies to Jesus and His Cross.
We should aim to be what we really are. Our struggles, our
conflicts should result from the fact that we are children of God, that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, that we are alive in the Spirit, that we are God's holy ones. If we turn the eye within, we have no power; we shall only discover unworthiness, weakness, and sin; and this will give us no strength for conflict. We must keep our eye fixed on Jesus. Looking away from all other objects unto Him, the Author and Finisher of faith. And as we contemplate Him, we gain strength, we become practically more holy; we are changed into His likeness, we grow up into Him.
This was the last act of Moses, sprinkling the oil and the blood upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments. They and their garments were sanctified. It is to be observed that Aaron's sons, and his sons' garments are closely linked in this sprinkling with Aaron himself—"upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him."—This is four times repeated. Exod. 29:21; Lev. 8:30.
Their persons were first sanctified, then their garments. And thus they stood a hallowed family in connection with Aaron their head.
May we not see in this a little figure of the truths expressed in the epistle
to the Hebrews, though at the same time there is a contrast.
Aaron and his garments had to be sanctified. Christ sanctified Himself for
our sakes. Aaron's sons derived no sanctification from any act of Aaron.
Christ's house derive all their sanctification from Christ their Head,
and High Priest.
Thus far there is a contrast—but we read, "he who sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." and, "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." Heb. 2:11; 3:1. Here is the fulfilment of those little words "with him," we are all of one with Him that sanctifieth us. We are partakers of that wondrous calling of which He is the High Priest. We are "holy brethren," and "He is not ashamed to call us brethren"—a priestly family—a spiritual house, builded by God, belonging to the Son of God, over which He is the Head.
Wondrous calling! accomplished by a wondrous God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. A family, named of the Father; children and heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: brethren whom Jesus is not ashamed to own as His brethren. An assembly in the midst of which He will sing praise to God—a congregation of priests anointed with the Holy Ghost—an holy priesthood, a royal priesthood, "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," and "to shew forth the praises (virtues) of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light." 1 Pet. 2:5, 9.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
Exod. 29:19, 20; Lev. 8:22-24
The last sacrifice offered was "the Ram of Consecration." Two rams were
brought, (v. 1;) one was offered for a burnt-offering, and the other is called "the ram of consecrations;" or, of filling (the hands.) The word consecrations is in the plural, and is found in Exod. 29:22, 26, 27: "for it is a ram of consecrations"—"the ram of Aaron's consecrations"—"the ram of the consecrations." Lev. 8:22, 29. In Exod. 29:34, the word occurs in the plural—"flesh of the consecrations," as it ought to be throughout.
Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of this ram, and Moses slew it, as in the two former cases. The death of the victim following immediately upon this act of identification.
"And Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right
ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet." Thus the ear, the right hand, and the right foot of Aaron and his sons, were dedicated to God by blood. From henceforth their ear was to listen to no sounds, but such as might be heard in connection with the blood of the sacrifice.
So also the believer at the present time. His ear has been consecrated to
God, through the death of Christ, that he might hearken to His voice; inclining his ear to hear heavenly words; and listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd. He is to allow no whispers of temptation, and no sound of human revelry or ambition, to enter his priestly ear: but to be deaf as his Lord was, opening the ears of others, whilst He Himself heard not the temptations of the enemy. Isa. 42:19, 20. That perfect servant of Jehovah was blind and deaf—blind to all fascinations of the world, and deaf to every suggestion of Satan. And when at last led to the slaughter, He was dumb, uttering no words of reviling or threatening when falsely accused; not opening His mouth when buffetted, spit upon, mocked, and crucified.
May we set before ourselves the blessed example of our Lord, and remember that by His blood we have a priestly circumcised ear.
The thumbs of the right hand were also touched with the blood. The right
hand is in Scripture used to express power. "Thy right hand, O Lord,
is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy." "Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them." Exod. 15:6, 12.
And also skill. "A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart, at his left." Eccl. 10:2. That is, he guides the activities of his hand with wisdom: he is prompt also to execute the counsels of his heart.
"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget (her cunning.) Psa.
137:5. The psalmist finds it as impossible to forget Jerusalem,
as it would be impossible for his right hand not to act with rapidity and
skill at the prompting of his will.
The thumb is that part which peculiarly distinguishes the human hand from the paw of those animals, which in appearance most resemble the human form. It is the most valuable finger of the hand; without it, this member of the body would be comparatively useless.
The priestly hand touched with the blood was consecrated to handle gifts and sacrifices for God. Its skilfulness was devoted to the Lord's service, and the priest was not to touch any unclean or dead thing. Another beautiful type of the occupations of the believer, whose business in life is to serve God in all that he undertakes. Even when handling the things of this world, he is to do so to God's glory. His faculties, his powers of mind and body, are for the Lord; the precious blood has separated him off to God, and the most ordinary actions of life, which as an unbeliever he performed in self-will, and for mere self-pleasing, he is now to do "to the glory of God."
In all things he is to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;" and strange as it may seem, he is not to labour for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. This latter precept of the Lord Jesus has been softened down by some to mean, that "we are not to labour inordinately, or exclusively, for the meat which perisheth, and that if the text were taken without some qualification, it would encourage idleness." In answer to this, it may be said that we have no right to qualify the text. The words of the Lord are distinct and emphatic, "labour not for the meat which perisheth."
The difficulty is easily solved. We are, even in the necessary occupations of life, to make the Lord's glory our object, and not to be labouring for the meat which perisheth, as if that were our only purpose. We are to do all
things in such a way, that we may be exhibiting ourselves as sons of God without rebuke, shining as lights in the world. Phil. 2:14, 15; and we are not to live as if we had two existences, a secular, and a religious.
Lastly, the blood was put upon the great toes of their right feet The Hebrew word is the same for great toe as for thumb. The principal finger of the most active hand, and the principal toe of the most active foot, were alike touched with the blood. No pathway was to be followed, in which the priest could not walk with the blood anointed foot. His feet being holy, he was ever to tread upon holy ground, passing his life in the precincts of the sanctuary. So the priests to God of the present time are to be careful in their walk and conduct, lest they be found treading unholy paths, mingling themselves in the world's follies and amusements, forgetful of the blood whereby they have been sanctified. Our feet were naturally swift to shed blood—destruction and misery were in our ways—the way of peace we once knew not. Rom. 3:15, 17. Now, our path is to be that of the righteous;
our feet are to be beautiful, as messengers of glad tidings; our ways are to be ways of pleasantness and peace May we avoid all companies into which we cannot go with the blood sprinkled feet; into which we cannot carry the good news of the blessed name of Jesus. The ear, the hand, and the foot are the Lord's. "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Cor. 6:19, 20.
Moses next "sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about." v. 24. The same blood which had been put upon the priests, was sprinkled on the altar. Thus the vessel at which they habitually ministered was alike separated off to God with themselves. The patterns of things in the heavens being purified with these typical sacrifices, whilst the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Heb. 9:23
Exod. 29:22-28; Lev. 8:25-29
Seven portions of the ram were thus taken by Moses: the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder.
The word for "fat" has especial reference to the inside fat of the victim,
and is in the margin of Lev. 3:3, translated "suet." Three portions of
fat were taken; the fat, all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the fat of
the kidneys. This proved the healthiness, the inward vigour of the animal. No human eye could perceive this development of life, until the victim had been slain. Beautiful figure this of the complete devotedness of Christ, as to all His inward affections, and will, and desires, to please God; He could say, "I delight to do thy will O my God—yea thy law is within my heart." Psa. 40:8. The truth of this wonderful inner life, in all its richness and fulness dedicated to God, was made manifest when the Lord hung upon the tree, "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
We can now look back upon the life and ways of the blessed Lord, and see in them that humbling of Himself; that dedication to God; that one object of pursuit, to glorify God; the one motive of His heart, which He finally so marvellously displayed in laying down His life at the commandment of His Father. He that discerneth the thoughts and intents of the heart, could be appealed to by Christ in the words of Psa. 139:23, "search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my
thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me," or (margin) "way of pain or grief." He could challenge the eyes of Him to whom all things are naked and opened, to search His inmost soul, well knowing that there was not a thought within, which would grieve His Father, but that He would have the ready response, "my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."—"mine elect in whom my soul delighteth." Love to God being the pure motive from which all His actions took their rise, He could with truth say, "I do always those things that please him." John 8:29. Blessed perfectness, sinless purity, unswerving obedience! How contrasted with the mixed motives, the unclean desires, the constant unbelief and disobedience which meet the eye of our heavenly Father, as He marks our thoughts and intents, as He searches our purposes and our ways.
"The caul above the liver." It will be perceived on referring to the margin
of the Bible, that "midriff" is substituted for "caul." Exod. 29:13; Lev. 3:4. And this probably is the right translation, midriff, or diaphragm, being the portion here specified. This is a muscular membrane, dividing the body into two parts, and is the great organ by means of which the breath is inhaled. It is in the type always mentioned in close connection with the liver.
The word "above," or upon the liver is used in Exod. 29:13; Lev 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; 7:4; 9:10. This word "above" is omitted in Exod. 29:22; Lev. 8:16, 25; 9:19, in which passages, the caul would almost seem to be identified with the liver.
Thus the organ by which the victim breathed, (the midriff,) and which was
closely connected with that (the liver) wherein gall and bitterness were
naturally secreted, was wholly presented to God. In the Antitype the whole power of His inner life, every breath He drew was altogether for God—and there was no gall or bitterness in Him; no envy or malice to taint the inward feelings of His soul. He was "meek and lowly in heart."
Two other portions, "the rump, and the two kidneys," were also selected. The kidneys are elsewhere translated, reins. God is said to try, to search,
and to see the heart and reins. Psa. 7:9; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; 20:12. He searches the inward motive, and the secret affection. The hidden desire is known to Him. The Lord Jesus could appeal to the judgment of God, and say, "Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord: I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." Psa. 26:1, 2. He was the only one who could claim an integrity of His own. And this word integrity is interesting, because it is almost the same as the Thummim; the perfections, the uprightnesses, placed in the breastplate His inward perfections were the power of His outward walk—like the upper and hinder part of the victim's legs, presented with the kidneys. So also He could say, "I shall not slide." His own integrity, and His ceaseless trust in Jehovah preserved His foot in an even place. And not only so, but when proved and tried, yea, and scorched with the refining fire of God's holiness,
His reins and His heart were fit for the altar, and yielded nothing but the
sweetest savour to God.
The word, try my reins and my heart, is that used for the refining of
metals in the furnace. This blessed one could also say, "I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the right seasons." Psa. 16:7. The counsel He received from Jehovah found an immediate response from His own will. And in that one night of fearful sorrow, that unnatural night—when the sun was darkened at noon-day, His own desire to accomplish the commandment of God, instructed Him to lay down His life of Himself, even though in so doing He had to bear sin and shame, and curse and wrath.
Wondrous perfection, when the inward will and strength of the Son of Man, answered completely the mind and purpose and counsel of God.
The right shoulder completed these precious portions of the ram of
consecrations, expressive of the power patiently to endure, all that might be laid upon the victim by the hands of another.
There was strength in Jesus adequate to the heavy burden laid upon Him by God—in nothing did He fail. He bore the weight of our sins upon the tree, till He knew that the stripes of God upon His soul had reached the appointed number, and till the bruising of Jehovah ended in His yielding up the ghost. God could, according to the infinite measure of His own holiness, and His infinite judgment upon sin, say, "it is enough." The burden had been borne—the chastisement of our peace was completed. The strength of the blessed victim had sufficed, and the body of the Lord laid in the tomb in the helplessness of death, witnessed that sin was put away, and remitted—and that the great object which from all eternity had been in the counsels of God, was completed. The way of access for
the sinner to the glory was made—the way into the holiest was laid open.
Moses next took out of the basket three sorts of bread—one unleavened
cake—one unleavened cake mingled with oil—and one wafer, unleavened, anointed with oil.
Leaven is universally used in Scripture, as a type of sin spreading its
corrupting influence. A secret working of evil, which may not be outwardly
manifest, but which arises from a corrupt nature within. All types therefore of the blessed Lord, which refer to Him as the bread from heaven, are without leaven. No leaven could be burnt on the altar in any offering of the Lord made by fire; because God could not accept a sacrifice in which there was the slightest taint or corruption.
Three aspects of Christ as the bread of life are presented to us in these
three portions selected from the basket of unleavened bread:—First, His sinless purity, the unleavened cake. Next, as the Christ of God—from His birth filled with the Holy Ghost, the unleavened cake mingled with oil; and thirdly, as anointed by the Holy Ghost with power to accomplish the most minute precept of God, the unleavened wafer, anointed with oil. He is the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth—the true bread from heaven—the bread of life—the living bread—the bread of God—the bread which God has provided. The sixth chapter of John seems to be the Lord's
exposition of the manna, and the meat-offerings. And we find in that chapter, He mingles the thought of flesh and blood with bread. "The bread that I will give is my flesh."—"whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life."—"for my flesh is true meat, and my blood is true drink."—"he that eateth me even he shall live by me."—"this is that bread which came down from heaven—he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever," verses 51, 54, 55, 57, 58. Thus the Lord closely connects the fact of
His death, with His being the bread of life. Indeed there is no feeding on
Christ except in close connection with His death on the cross. The contemplation of His life of perfect obedience, will not avail us, or strengthen our souls to follow His example, unless we connect such meditations with the sacrifice of Himself upon the tree. These cakes therefore were presented to God, already baken in the oven—a type of Christ contemplated in His death.
Filling the hands. Moses put these unleavened cakes "on the fat, and
on the right shoulder, and put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord," verses 26, 27.
Here we have an explanation of the word "consecrations"—in the Hebrew
literally—"filings" (of the hand)
The word is used in the following connections:
"The ram of consecrations." Exod. 29:22, 26, 27; Lev. 8:22, 29.
"The flesh of the consecrations." Exod. 29:34.
"Basket of consecrations." Lev. 8:31.
"Days of consecrations." Lev. 8:33.
"Consecrations for a sweet savour." Lev. 8:28.
The peculiar meatoffering recorded in Lev. 6:19-23, which was offered by Aaron and his sons on the day when he was anointed, is also called "consecrations." Lev. 7:37.
Aaron's hands and his sons' hands were filled with parts of the ram, and the unleavened cakes. They handled the most precious portions of the sacrifice—thus appreciating their value; their hands had previously been laid upon the heads of the victims, and thereby they had in figure transferred their own sin, guilt, and need to those victims. 80 these hands thus emptied of their own guiltiness, were then filled with peculiarly choice parts of the slain ram, and with unleavened cakes of fine wheat flour—wondrous transfer! May we behold by faith, all our sin and misery laid on Jesus crucified, and may we have our hearts filled with contemplations of His preciousness.
We may be assured that our hands and hearts will be occupied with one thing, or another. Either the world with its vanities, and the flesh with its lusts will take their place within—or Christ and His comeliness, His beauty, His perfections, will fill our souls.
It seems as if the priests were waved with their hands thus filled, as a
wave-offering before God. The attention of Jehovah was called to contemplate them. His eyes might be invited to search them, because their hands were filled with the costly consecrations. They were identified with, and became one with the hallowed things which they handled. This was one peculiar and especial part of priestly consecration. The priests had to estimate for themselves the value of the sacrifices, and to handle various portions thereof, that they might know how to approach and worship God, and might stand in the place of intercession for others.
The apostle John opens his epistle with a declaration of somewhat of this
priestly experience, "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us—that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." 1 John 1:1-3.
We have first to know for ourselves, and to see for ourselves, and as it were to touch and handle for ourselves the sacrifice, in its sweet savour and acceptableness to God; before we can testify to others of its value, or can worship God in spirit and in truth. A witness must not ground his testimony upon mere hearsay reports which he has received from others; but must himself know and comprehend the facts to which he testifies. The Lord Himself in speaking to Nicodemus says, "verily, verily I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness." John 3:11. He speaks in the plural number,
including all true witnesses with Himself, the faithful and true witness.
Are our hands so filled with Christ, are our hearts so occupied with Him,
that we have no desire to meddle with the things of the world, and that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh?
All these parts of the sacrifice, and the unleavened bread, which had filled
the hands of the priests were taken by Moses "from off their hands and burnt on the altar, upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour,
it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord," v. 28.
The priests were by this act identified before the Lord with the
burnt-offering, and accepted according to its sweet savour. They had been
cleansed, atoned for, personally dedicated, had their hands filled, and were accepted, in the full value of the offerings which had been presented on their behalf to God, and according to the preciousness of the blood shed for them. One portion of the ram of consecration was especially reserved for Moses: he "waved the breast before the Lord, for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part," v. 29.
Throughout this scene Moses acted on the part of Jehovah—as a substitute accurately fulfilling His commands. And the breast of the ram of consecrations became his portion on that account. He was to enter with something like the estimate of God, into the love of Him, who was portrayed in these sacrifices. The breast is a type of the seat of the affections. To God alone primarily belong the affections of Christ. To the Son of God alone primarily belong the affections of God.
Who can estimate, save the Father, the love of His Son;and who can enter, save the Son, into the full understanding of the love of the Father?
And yet, wondrous grace! we hear the Lord saying, "thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me"—and it is said by the Holy Spirit of Him, "He loved us and gave Himself for us." God has given to us to know the love of Jesus towards us. He has given us His own heart's affections, and the affections of His Son. And Jesus has revealed to us the deep secret of the cross, viz., that it was love for the Father, and love for us because we are loved of the Father, that led Him to lay down His life. O mystery of love! the subject for our everlasting contemplation, and for our eternal fellowship and joy.
Here closes the fifth portion of the chapter with the words again repeated,
"as the Lord commanded Moses."
Exod. 29:21; Lev. 8:30
If we compare the parallel passage in Exod. 29:21, we shall find a remarkable alteration both in the arrangement of the verses, and in the order in which the blood stands It will be observed in the passage in Exodus, that this sprinkling upon Aaron and his garments, is placed immediately after the blood is put upon Aaron's right ear, etc.; and the filling of the hands of Aaron and his sons comes afterwards.
In this chapter of Leviticus which we are contemplating, the hands of the
priests are filled before the sprinkling takes place; and immediately after
their ears, etc., are touched with the blood. In Exodus also the blood is
mentioned before the oil. In Leviticus the anointing oil precedes the blood.
There may be a purpose in this variation, to link so closely together the
anointing oil and the blood, and the blood and the anointing oil, that we may not either sever the one from the other, or give precedence to one before the other.
There has been a thought expressed by some of the Lord's people, that there may be an interval of time, between the salvation of a sinner through the application of the precious blood of Christ to his heart and conscience, and the anointing of the Holy Ghost. There has also been a tendency in writers on the work of the Holy Spirit, to attribute redemption to Christ, and sanctification to the Holy Spirit exclusively. The type we are contemplating negatives both these suppositions.
Immediately the sinner believes on the Lord Jesus he is born again; the power of the Holy Ghost communicating to him life and faith in Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. The same Spirit baptizes him at the same moment into the one body, and he receives the Holy Ghost as the indwelling Spirit of God, because he is a child of God, and is united to the living Christ, the Son of God, a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones But besides this establishing of the believer in Christ, he is also anointed with the Spirit of God. He is united to a Christ, an anointed one, and therefore has the Spirit of God. And he also receives a special anointing of the Spirit, enabling him to fulfil his duties as a member of the body, and giving him a gift in accordance with that membership.
The Spirit of God is also the seal, or stamp of God, upon the believer,
proving by His very presence with, and in the believer, that he is a child of
God—that he is a new creation of God—a deed executed by God—a fiat of God's love and power. The Spirit also is the earnest in the believer's heart of the future glory—a pledge from the right hand of the throne of God—from the risen Christ, of the glorious resurrection which shall be his when Christ returns. An earnest of the bright inheritance which awaits him, and which will be his in possession when Jesus comes.
The anointing oil and the blood go together. Redemption through the blood of Christ, and the anointing of the Spirit, are simultaneous. "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Cor. 1:21, 22.
"In whom (Christ) ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the
Gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Eph. 1:13, 14.
In this passage the words "after ye believed," do not imply any interval of
time: they might better be rendered, "in whom having believed, ye were sealed;" or, according to our English idiom, we should insert the word, "and;" "in whom ye believed and were sealed." Here the presence of the Holy Ghost with, and in the believer as God's seal, and as the earnest of the glory, is immediate upon faith.
We have a striking illustration of this in the case of Cornelius and his
household, recorded in Acts 10. An interval had elapsed between
the conversion of the Jewish believers, and the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them at Pentecost. But there was no such interval in the case of these first Gentile converts. Immediately Peter in his discourse had reached the point where he declared that "through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins; while he yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." Or as Peter himself declares, when subsequently relating the circumstance—"And as I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." Acts 11:15. The word of faith was heard and believed, and the Spirit of God at once attested the fact by His presence and anointing. It is also interesting to remark that Peter made use of the words "whosoever believeth in him," the very words of the Lord Jesus Himself, when preaching the Gospel to Nicodemus.
Sanctified.-- Let us turn now to the subject of sanctification. It may
be observed that the object of the whole ritual described in Exod. 29 and Lev. 8 was to sanctify Aaron and his sons, in order that they might be priests. "And this is the thing that thou shalt do to hallow (or sanctify) them." And this sanctification is expressly repeated in connection with the blood and the oil: "And he shall be hallowed, (sanctified,) and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him." Exod. 29:21. "And sanctified Aaron and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments. with him." Lev. 8:30. The sacrifices, the blood, and the
oil, were the means employed in this sanctification.
Sanctification implies separation "from," and separation "to."
Separation from sin and sinners, unto a holy God. A very concise
and yet full definition of this occurs in Lev. 20:26. "And ye shall be holy unto me; for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." Israel had been severed from Egypt, and set apart to God in distinctness from all other nations of the earth. This separation had been effected through judgment. They had been redeemed from wrath, through the blood of the Paschal Lamb; and had been redeemed out of Egypt and from Pharaoh's power, through the
waters of the Red Sea.
Thus they had been sanctified to God. The family of the priests were still
further sanctified; being separated from the rest of Israel, and brought
peculiarly nigh to God. The believer is by the blood of the Lamb, separated from the flesh, from sin, from the world, to be a child of God, a king and priest; quickened together with Christ, risen with Christ, one with Christ, and therefore holy unto God his Father.
The Word of God speaks of sanctification as effected either by the will of
God; by the Holy Spirit as the agent; by the offering of Christ as the means; or, by the Word of God, as the instrument.
By the will of God—"by the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Heb. 10:10.
This passage attributes sanctification to the eternal purpose of God, whose will it was to separate to Himself a family of priests; and the way in which He was able to accomplish His will was through Christ coming to do it, and offering up Himself as a sacrifice for sin.
Paul, when relating before Agrippa the history of his wonderful conversion, gives a striking summary of the commission he then received from the Lord, to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles: "To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:18.
Faith in Christ is here declared, by the Lord Jesus Himself, to be the
sanctifying power; separating off the Gentile to be holy to the Lord, and to an inheritance with the saints in light. It is a "most holy faith," through which we Gentile sinners have been severed from the world around us, to be God's holy ones; and it is a "most holy faith" upon which we, thus sanctified, are to be constantly building ourselves. Jude 20.
In Jude, v.1, we have sanctification attributed to God the Father, or
rather, the passage may be rendered, "sanctified in God the Father;" the
security of the believer is contemplated, for he is looked at as holy, because of his union with the Father and the Son.
We find the phrase "called saints" occurring more than once in the
epistles. In our version the words "to be" are unhappily inserted; they
tend to impair the real force of the expression. We are actually made "saints," or holy ones by God's call; for we are "Holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling."
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 Tim. 1:9. "Ye also are the called of Jesus Christ, beloved of God, called saints." Rom 1:6, 7. "All things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Rom. 8:28. "To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints." 1 Cor. 1:2. "Preserved in Jesus Christ, called." Jude 1. From all these passages it is clear God's call is not an exhortation from Him to us, requiring us to accomplish a holiness of our own, but that His calling is His own effectual act, separating us as holy
ones to Himself. We are partakers of His calling; we are saints, made so by His calling. The voice of His power sounding effectually in our hearts, has transformed us from sinners to saints, has created us anew in Christ Jesus. We cannot be too particular as to this truth—for on the one hand there is a kind of inherent notion that in some way or other death purifies the sinner and makes him holy; and on the other hand there is a common belief even amongst the children of God, that the work of the Holy Ghost in the believer gradually renders him more holy, and more fit for heaven. Both these very current opinions are contrary to God's truth. A believer in Jesus is not sanctified by death, but he is sanctified in Christ Jesus. Neither is it any gradual operation of the Holy Ghost in us that makes us holy, so as to render us fit for God and His glory. The song in the glory will be "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," and has "redeemed us to God by His blood."
The sinner is already saved through faith in the Lord Jesus, and has to give thanks to the Father that already "He hath made him meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light;" that already "He hath delivered him from the power of darkness, and hath translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son;" "In whom" (His Son) already "he hath redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin." Col. 1:12-14.
Sanctification attributed to the Holy Spirit—"that the offering up of the
Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." Rom. 15:16. The apostle speaks of himself as a priest presenting to God a meatoffering of the Gentiles; like the new meatoffering on the day of Pentecost, when two wave loaves were waved before God as bread of firstfruits.
This type of firstfruits was fulfilled as regards the Jews on the day of
Pentecost. There were no Gentiles present when the Holy Ghost was poured out. Paul being especially the apostle to the Gentiles, and writing his epistle to believers dwelling in the ruling Gentile city of the world, speaks of the presentation to God of Gentiles converted through his preaching, as a similar meatoffering; sanctified by the Holy Ghost; manifested as holy, by the presence and indwelling of that blessed Spirit. Like the oil poured upon a meatoffering.
Again, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thess. 2:13.
And, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:2.
In both these texts, the Spirit is presented as separating off in holiness
the believer through belief in the truth in the first case; and in the latter,
separating him off unto the obedience of faith, and unto the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit being the agent employed by God the Father to accomplish His will, in communicating faith in the precious blood of Christ to the sinner, in order to his salvation.
Sanctification is attributed to Christ. "Christ loved the Church and gave
himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word." Eph. 5:25, 26.
The Lord's death is presented to us in this passage as accomplished by
Himself, that He might thereby sanctify and cleanse the Church. The cleansing power of the blood being applied by the word of God.
The Lord Jesus is also called the Sanctifier, "both he that sanctifieth, and
they who are sanctified are all of one—for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." Heb. 2:11. And the means whereby He accomplishes this is His own precious blood—"Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate." Heb. 13:12.
And believers are of God, "in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." A very blessed passage tracing our new creation up to God, in union with Christ, and telling us that Christ is made to us the full and blessed treasury of all wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption. If we lack wisdom, God has given us all wisdom in Jesus. If we are conscious of unrighteousness, Christ is our righteousness. If we are conscious of our unholiness, He is our sanctification. If we look around us upon the world and find ourselves differing but little from the unredeemed, He is our redemption. We are in God's sight severed as far from this world, and as distinct from it, as the Lord Jesus Himself is at the right hand of God.
The Lord Jesus Himself was separated off as God's elect and sent into the world—that holy one, the Son of God. John 10:36. And He sanctified Himself for our sakes—separating Himself unto God through the death of the cross, that we might be sanctified through the truth. His prayer to the Father was, "sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." John 17:17.
The Holy Spirit uses the word of God, first to communicate life in separation to God; and next, to cleanse us practically from the defilements and uncleannesses constantly attaching to us through the flesh, and the world.
Practical holiness in our walk and conversation is only to be obtained through the word of God under the power of the Spirit of God. We are saints, we are holy, we are washed, we are sanctified, we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. We have to be practically clean, and practically holy—and that through the same power and means by which we have been already saved. The word of God, testifying to the precious blood of Christ, applied by the Spirit of God. Thus the oil and the blood are inseparable. The Holy Ghost testifies to Jesus and His Cross.
We should aim to be what we really are. Our struggles, our
conflicts should result from the fact that we are children of God, that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, that we are alive in the Spirit, that we are God's holy ones. If we turn the eye within, we have no power; we shall only discover unworthiness, weakness, and sin; and this will give us no strength for conflict. We must keep our eye fixed on Jesus. Looking away from all other objects unto Him, the Author and Finisher of faith. And as we contemplate Him, we gain strength, we become practically more holy; we are changed into His likeness, we grow up into Him.
This was the last act of Moses, sprinkling the oil and the blood upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments. They and their garments were sanctified. It is to be observed that Aaron's sons, and his sons' garments are closely linked in this sprinkling with Aaron himself—"upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him."—This is four times repeated. Exod. 29:21; Lev. 8:30.
Their persons were first sanctified, then their garments. And thus they stood a hallowed family in connection with Aaron their head.
May we not see in this a little figure of the truths expressed in the epistle
to the Hebrews, though at the same time there is a contrast.
Aaron and his garments had to be sanctified. Christ sanctified Himself for
our sakes. Aaron's sons derived no sanctification from any act of Aaron.
Christ's house derive all their sanctification from Christ their Head,
and High Priest.
Thus far there is a contrast—but we read, "he who sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." and, "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." Heb. 2:11; 3:1. Here is the fulfilment of those little words "with him," we are all of one with Him that sanctifieth us. We are partakers of that wondrous calling of which He is the High Priest. We are "holy brethren," and "He is not ashamed to call us brethren"—a priestly family—a spiritual house, builded by God, belonging to the Son of God, over which He is the Head.
Wondrous calling! accomplished by a wondrous God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. A family, named of the Father; children and heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: brethren whom Jesus is not ashamed to own as His brethren. An assembly in the midst of which He will sing praise to God—a congregation of priests anointed with the Holy Ghost—an holy priesthood, a royal priesthood, "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," and "to shew forth the praises (virtues) of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light." 1 Pet. 2:5, 9.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Food of the Priests
Exod. 29:31-37; Lev. 8:31-36
Hitherto Aaron and his sons had been comparatively passive; the only action on their part was the laying their hands upon the heads of the various sacrifices. They were now however commanded to eat the flesh of the ram of consecration, (the ram with which their hands had been filled,) and the remainder of the bread of consecrations, (with which also their hands had been filled.) They were to be strengthened tor the Lord's service by feeding on "those things wherewith the atonement was made, to fill their hand, to sanctify them." Exod. 29:33. Atonement, consecration, and sanctification were all included under the one sacrifice of the ram, and the bread which now became their food, or as it were the source of life to them.
So it is also with the believer. He recognizes Christ as having in His death made a full atonement for his sin, and as having thereby consecrated and sanctified him as a king and priest to God; and the very act of thus contemplating Christ by faith, is life, is Christ within him. Paul as Saul of Tarsus had a revelation of Christ from heaven to him, and this was by the operation of God the revelation of Christ in him. Gal. 1:15, 16. If Jesus be the object to which as sinners we turn, then we receive him by faith, and "Christ is in us the hope of glory." Col. 1:27. Faith and life go together.
They are synchronous, we cannot place one before or after the other. Christ as our object, becomes Christ in us. And so also as to the nourishment of that life afterwards. We grow, and are strengthened, exactly in the same way in which life was originally communicated to us; that is by contemplating the same object, Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Looking at Him as an external object, moulds and fashions within into His likeness. "We all, with unveiled face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18. Moses wist not that his face shone, when he came down from the mount. He had been in converse with God, and had unconsciously to himself, caught some of the glory of the Lord
upon his countenance. We shall as surely, though perhaps imperceptibly to ourselves, be transformed into the image of Christ if we keep him constantly before us. Looking within ourselves will not advance us in spiritual growth; neither will mental efforts of our own advantage us; looking off ourselves unto Jesus, will have a transforming power.
The eating of those things wherewith the atonement was made, may have this truth in type. The Lord in John 6, to which reference has already been made, identifies his flesh and blood with bread; and identifies faith, and coming to Him with eating. "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
John 6:35.
"That he that seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life," 40. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life," 47. "I am that bread of life"—"that a man may
eat thereof, and not die"—"if any man eat of this bread he shall
live for ever." Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life." "He that eateth of this bread shall live for ever,"
vv. 48,50, 51, 54, 58. Thus the appropriation of Christ to oneself by
faith, believing on Him, is eating His flesh and drinking His blood. It is "to
taste that the Lord is gracious." 1 Pet. 2:3.
Eating is also a type of communion, or fellowship. It is so used in 1 Cor.
10:18-21. "Behold Israelafter the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?' They typically partook of the same sacrifices of which God had partaken from off the altar. There can be no partaking with another of the same food, unless there be peace and friendship between the two.
Atonement having been made, and perfect reconciliation established, the priests could eat of the sacrifices in the presence of God; could have fellowship with Him in those very things with which that atonement had been effected. In like manner the Lord's table becomes to the believer a place of fellowship with the Father and the Son. As a saved sinner he takes a place at that table, to remember Christ in God's presence, to worship and bless God for the gift of His Son, and in some measure
to enter into God's joy and God's thoughts respecting that Great Salvation
effected by Christ. What a wondrous invitaation is that given by the Father in Luke 15:23:"Let us eat and be merry." And again, "It was meet that weshould make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found," v. 32.
Do we as we might, and as we ought, enter even now into the joy of our Lord? Do we believe that God has greater delight in saving us, than we have in being saved? Do we gather round the Lord's table that we may rejoice with God in the death of His Son, and delight ourselves in Christ?
Peter in the vision of the sheet let down, had instruction conveyed to him respecting intercourse and fellowship with the Gentiles, under the type of eatingHe said to Cornelius and those assembled, "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." Act 10:28. And he subsequently related the vision to the saints at Jerusalem, in answer to their objection to his
having gone to men uncircumcised and having eaten with them. Acts 11. Here again eating is employed as a type of intercourse.
We have also a very distinct reference to the same truth in Heb.
13:10-14.
"We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the
tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come."
A very full and remarkable passage, to which reference has already been made in page 322, but which it may be well to enter into more fully. We are first told that we have an altar, in contrast with those who serve the tabernacle, and who have no right to eat of our altar. The altar here seems to be identical with the cross—the cross (if we may so say) transferred to the glory. We have a right to eat of the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, slain upon the tree. That flesh and blood was first eternal life to us, and next becomes the sustainment of that life, and enables us to abide in Christ. "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." John 6:56. The word here translated dwelleth is
the same that is elsewhere translated abideth.See John 15.
throughout.
The secret of abiding in Christ is to be feeding on Christ, especially as crucified for us. Some of the Lord's own people, it may be, desire to abide in Him, and yet know not how to arrive at that blessing. Two things were apparently in the mind of the Lord in John 15. First, that we should abide in Him; and next, that His words should abide in us, so that we might keep them. John 15:4, 7, 10. The former is practically attained by
constantly eating His flesh, and drinking His blood; the latter will result from a frequent meditation on His life and words. Ever remembering that we have the words of the Lord expanded, if we may so say, in the
Epistles.
They who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat of our altar. They have no right nor power to eat of the flesh and blood of Christ. And who, it may be asked, answer at the present day to those to whom the apostle thus alludes in his day? As a matter of fact there were none, even in Paul's day, who were serving the tabernacle; for the tabernacle had for some centuries been superseded by the temple. But the Spirit of God writes, throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews, as if the tabernacle were still in existence; because the principles to be maintained were such as had their more correct types during the tabernacle dispensation, and the sins to be avoided had been brought out in Israel's history during their sojourn in the wilderness, whilst the tabernacle was standing.
So at this present time, although both tabernacle and temple are gone, yet we as believers are looked upon as in the wilderness on our way to our rest; and the same errors are continued, the same false principles openly advocated, as if the tabernacle and temple were still standing. Any that proclaim efficacy in sacraments; any that uphold an order of priesthood distinct from all who are truly believers; any that arrogate to themselves or on behalf of others, the power to convey the Holy Ghost, or to qualify others for spiritual offices in the Church of God; are still serving the tabernacle. They have no right to eat of our altar. And for this reason, they have not owned a sacrifice sufficient to sanctify the people. They contend that something more than "Christ and Him crucified" is needful. They seem to think that the anointing of the Holy Ghost is not solely the consequence of a believer being at his conversion baptized into the
body of Christ. They practically deny that "Christ hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father." And they think that priests are to be made after a tabernacle fashion; a human consecration.
The apostle enforces his argument upon the ground that in the tabernacle service, "the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary for sin, are burned without the camp." When a sin-offering was slain of such a high character that its blood was carried either into the holy or most holy places, then the body of the victim was burned outside the camp—no portion was eaten by the priests—all was consumed. In the Antitype, "Jesus that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate." He was the true offering for sin. He suffered outside the gate of Jerusalem; outside that city of solemnities, in reproach and dishonour—outside all ceremonial religion, all observances of fleshly religiousness; outside all formalities. A wondrous reality; not a type or shadow; but the substance of all type and shadow. A true Christ; a true sacrifice; the true "Lamb of God." No human priest had to do with that sacrifice—no fleshly ceremonial was connected with it. Man in all his true-hearted hatred to God was there, an active agent in the work of slaughter. The serpent was present to bruise the heel of the woman's seed; the "sword of Jehovah of hosts smote the man that was his fellow." The marvellous reality made all rituals of priestly service, all sacrifices of old,
all type and shadow fade away into insignificance.
The victim on that tree of curse, who shed His own blood of such unspeakable value, made the blood of bulls and of goats utterly worthless. "Lebanon was not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering." The offerer who "offered up himself," for ever set aside the Aaronic high priest with all his outward glory and beauty, and all his offerings. The stripes upon the soul of Jesus, which extracted healing virtue for us poor sinners, for ever made of none effect, even "ten thousand rivers of oil." The precious blood was borne into heaven itself by the great High Priest in resurrection, and all holy places made with hands were set aside. Henceforth the true worshipper enters with confidence
through the blood into the holiest of all, the very presence of the living God, and finds the only Priest he needs already there for him. Sanctified once for all by that one offering, and perfected for ever by it, the believer, a the priest himself to God, feeds on the flesh and blood of Him who is the
sin-offering; setting aside by that act, even the very form of the Jewish
ritual. He needs no outward dress to make him holy; no imposition of human hands to separate him to God; no license from man "to serve the living God." He claims his sanctification, his separation, his consecration, his priesthood, his salvation from Him who suffered without the gate; the Son of God Himself—who has shed His own blood; and he boldly says to all mere human pretenders, to all who trust in carnal ordinances, "you have no right to eat off our altar."
But what follows this simple dependence upon Christ, this full reliance on His death, and on His death alone as all sufficient; "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." Outside the gate of Jerusalemwhere the blessed Lord suffered is again exchanged for "outside the camp." The church is looked upon like the camp of Israel of old, with the golden calf in the midst. A worldly religion, suited to the flesh, and adapted to keep the consciences of unregenrate sinners lulled in the sleep of death, has been universally adopted. The people can "sit down to eat and drink, and rise up to play," and have their religious ceremonies, and prayers, and ordinances, and priesthood, at the same time; and with the name of Jesus mixed with it all. What then is to be the course pursued by the true-hearted worshipper? "To go to Jesus without the camp bearing his reproach" We have been brought nigh to God by His blood within the vail; our path here below is to be outside all human order, all mixed worship, all priestly ceremonial. But it is to Him; it is to Jesus the crucified, the risen one, that we go; to walk with Him in holy, happy fellowship; to learn from Him the ever deep mysteries of His cross; to glory in that cross, whereby "the world has been crucified to us, and we to the world;" to lean on Him for support and strength, and to bear His reproach.
From whence did that reproach come upon Him? Not only from the openly profane; Herod and his men of war did indeed set him at nought; but chiefly from the temple worshippers, from the established priests and religious sects of the day. They cast Him out; they crucified Him in a place to which they would on no account themselves go, lest it should defile them—"the place of a skull." They preferred to keep the shadow, to trusting the substance. They were careful not to enter the hall of judgment lest they should defile themselves, "but that they might eat the passover," whilst the Lamb of God was in reality suffering on the tree outside the gate. A solemn thought this. The shadow may and does at this very
day in ten thousand cases supersede the substance. Men will earnestly contend for a form, a ceremony, a. shadow, whilst they utterly reject Him to whom the shadow points. We are exhorted "earnestly to contend for the faith;" "to hold fast the commonsalvation," the "great salvation."
Common alike to all the Lord's people; alike great to all that receive it. Men will be valiant on behalf of a sacrament, or of a holy day, when they trample at the same time, on the precious blood of Christ, and shrink in
every respect from "His reproach."
When superstition is exposed, or when the believer ceases to consent to belong to a worldly church, he will suffer the reproach of Christ. Let but a trifle be added to the truth, and the reproach of Christ will cease. If Paul would only have added an ordinance to justification by faith, the offence of the cross would have been at an end, and he would no longer have suffered persecution. Gal. 5:11.
Oh may we be ever in the holiest true worshippers of the Father, and feeding on the Lamb; and know the companionship of Jesus here with us outside the camp; and have the honour and glory of bearing somewhat of His reproach.
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." When the worship of Israelbecame mixed with idolatry, they made the wilderness their home. "They sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." A religion of form and ceremony, which is in truth a religion mixed
with idolatry, will always consist well with worldliness. But we have no
continuing city here; this is not our rest; the wilderness is no place for
pastime; we are strangers and pilgrims. The blood of the Lamb has separated us to God and to glory. May it be so in truth! May our lives belie our words! Let us remember the beautiful order of these truths. Eat of the altar in the holiest first; go outside to Christ next, and we shall have His reproach; lastly, seek the future city; look earnestly onwards to the coming of the Lord, when that glorious heavenly city will be revealed.
Aaron and his sons were finally directed to abide seven days, day and night, at the door of the tabernacle, and to keep the charge of the Lord. During all this time, a bullock for sin was daily offered upon the altar for atonement. Exod. 29:36. They were to be habituated to abide before the Lord; and they were to realize the value of the sin-offering, as thus enabling them so to abide there. The seven days of their week of consecration, may in type prefigure the whole of our earthly life. Our
whole week of service. We are to accustom ourselves to be in the presence of our God. Our life is to be spent there; only we have the privilege of abiding, not at the door, but in the very holiest of all.
May we rejoice to use this wondrous liberty of access, and not only "draw near," but "abide under the shadow of the Almighty;" "trusting under his wings." And what will be our help and power for this? The sin-offering of atonement constantly realized, by the help of the Holy Spirit. The precious blood recognized as upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat, carried into the holy of holies.
The chapter concludes with a change of the oft-repeated sentence, "as the Lord commanded Moses," to "So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses." They had themselves, through their consecration and the feeding on the sacrifice, power to fulfil God's commands, and to act independently of Moses. The power and intelligence of priests.
The Eighth Day Service
The next chapter of Leviticus, the
9th, opens with "the eighth day." This is a singular expression, because it is an additional day to a week already ended. And this eighth day would
necessarily be the first day of a new week. Thus we have a type of
resurrection. For resurrection could not be unless there had been a preceding creation, which had failed, having been ruined by sin. Resurrection is something entirely new, and yet it comes in upon that which is old.
The only feast which had an eighth day was the feast of Tabernacles. Lev. 23:36, 39; Num. 29:35. (See page 55 of this work.) Circumcision was on the eighth day. Lev. 12:3. In this rite there was evidently a shadow of what resurrection effects. The true circumcision; "the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh" Col. 2:11-13. "We are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Phil. 3:3. As the man-child was on the eighth day
circumcised, so on that day the firstling of oxen and sheep were given to God.
Exod. 22:30; Lev. 22:27. Another shadow of death and resurrection It is
also deeply interesting to observe that the leper, when healed of his disease of leprosy, and fulfilling the ritual appointed for his ceremonial cleansing, had an eighth day service, which in many respects approached very nearly to the ritual appointed for the consecration of the priests. Blood and oil were put upon the leper's right ear, and thumb, and great toe. Oil also was put upon his head. See also the sacrifices offered. Lev.
14:10-20,23-31 A cleansed leper obtained that to which no ordinary
Israelite who had never suffered under the fearful disease of leprosy, was
entitled. A saved sinner is raised by the grace of God to an infinitely higher
position, and is a far higher being in the scale of existence, than was Adam before his fall A man or woman who might have suffered under an issue, and been healed, presented sacrifices to the Lord on the eighth day. Lev. 15:14, 29. In both these types we have evidently allusions to the great fact brought out in all distinctness at length in the teaching and death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus; namely, that there can be no real cleanness before God, except through being born again Put to death with
Christ upon the tree, and quickened together with Him into life
eternal.
There is one more remarkable instance of an eighth day. The Nazarite was to bring his offering on that day under certain circumstances. Num. 6:10. The Nazarite, the cleansed leper, and the priest, had each an eighth day, and had certain ceremonies remarkably in common. The saved sinner, a priest to God, separated oft to God, combines all the three
types; and stands ever able to serve God, because he is, "risen with Christ." Col. 3:1-5.
The priests at the close of their seven days consecration were in an anomalous state. They were priests for themselves, but not for others. They had no power to offer on behalf of Israel. On the eighth day they were enabled to present sacrifices not only for themselves, but for the people. All our power to serve God; all our power to intercede for others; all our ability to walk here as strangers and pilgrims, is the result of resurrection. We are priests, because "partakers of a heavenly calling." Christ is "not ashamed to call us brethren," because we are "risen together with him." We can worship God, because we are "not in the flesh." We can intercede for others, because we are ourselves saved and have life in common with the risen Lord. We can present to God the precious blood of His son on our own behalf as worshippers already saved, and plead it on behalf of the unsaved, because we have in ourselves trusted in its value, and are accepted and justified, and risen as the evidence of its preciousness.
Let us trace from the Scriptures some of our responsibilities and power as priests to God.
First.—Our food for life and abiding fellowship with Christ is priestly; it is His flesh and blood. Heb. 13:10; John 6:54-58.
Next.—We have access into the holiest by His blood, and can worship God in Spirit and in truth. Heb. 10:19-22;John 4:21-23;1 Peter 2:5, 9.
Again.—We are to assemble ourselves together, and to exhort one another, and so much the more because the day of the Lord's coming is approaching. Heb. 10:25.
Then we are "to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, our reasonable (priestly) service." Rom. 12:1.
We are to discern, and put "difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean." Lev. 10:10; 11:47. To separate the precious from the vile. Jer. 15:19; 2 Cor. 6:14-18.
The real knowledge of sin and estimate of its fearful evil in the sight of God, is a priestly knowledge to be deepened and increased by daily communings with God respecting the sacrifice of His dear Son. The priest alone could decide in days of old as to the fearful plague of leprosy and all its manifested tokens.
The priests have also to instruct others in God's word, and God's thoughts, gathered from His word. Deut. 33:10; Lev. 10:11. See also Neh. 8:18, as an example.
Wisdom should be kept in their lips. Mal. 2:7.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom." Col. 3:16. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."Eph. 4:29. "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned
with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Col. 4:6.
Praise to God is a priestly service. "By him (Christ) therefore let us offer the sacrifices of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name;" or, as the margin has it, "confessingto his name." Heb. 13:15.
Let us remark the therefore of this verse. Praise must result from a heart fully confident of the entire and eternal salvation and sanctification, accomplished by the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The word thereforeis inserted because of this fact having been stated before. Also the word continually. All through our life, all through our circumstances, continuous praise. Also in intercourse with other priests, "teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Col. 3:16. "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." Eph. 5:19.
To give is a priestly action. "But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Heb. 13:16. The gifts of the Philippians to Paul, assisting him thereby to continue in his work of preaching the Gospel, were priestly offerings to God; "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God." Phil. 4:15-18.
Prayer and intercession mingled ever with thanksgiving are true priestly exercises of soul. See Rev. 5:8.
These are some of the chief services of priests to God, who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. In this 9th chap. of Lev. we find Aaron and his sons exercising on this eighth day their priestly calling; killing the sacrifices, handling the blood, selecting the pieces for the altar; in short, going through the whole routine with the necessary accuracy, and according to the precise directions given by God, in the power of the eighth day.
One sacrifice is added to the list, which had not been offered in their consecration; "a bullock and a ram for peace-offerings." It is worthy of remark that the word "sacrifice" in the Hebrew is confined to this peace-offering, or as it should be called "peace-sacrifice." So in Psalm 40:6, (where all the four offerings of the first four chapters of Leviticus are enumerated, as set aside by being fulfilled in Christ Himself,) the word "sacrifice" stands for peace-sacrifice. The word "peace" is in the plural number, as if to betoken peace of every kind—"perfect peace." Peace that shall answer every question of doubt or uncertainty; every opposing thought; whether of sin in the nature, sins committed, unworthiness, weakness, helplessness, infirmity. It was peculiarly a sacrifice of fellowship: the offerer eating the greater part of it in his own dwelling A kind of celebration of peace made between two parties, before opposed
to one another.
As the word "peace" was the friendly salutation between persons greeting one another; so this sacrifice was like a salutation of peace between God and the offerer. A striking type of Christ as the one through whom God is able to salute us with the blessed word peace. "He is our peace." Eph. 2:14. "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1.
"And you that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death." Col. 1:21, 22. "God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ."
2 Cor. 5:18.
This was the concluding sacrifice. "And Aaron lifted up his hand towards the people and blessed them." Lev. 9:22. He wafted towards them and upon them, the rich mercies procured by the sacrifices. Sin atoned for by the sin-offering. Acceptance with God in the sweet savour of the burnt-offering. Life through the bread of life the meat offering. And full reconciliation peace and fellowship with God, through the peace-sacrifice. And he uttered the priestly blessing.
"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; "The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; "The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
"And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." Num. 6:24-27.
Or, as it might be rendered—Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee; Jehovah cause his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; Jehovah lift up his face upon thee, and place upon thee peace.
It is remarkable that the last sacrifice was that which was for peace: and the conclusion of the priestly blessing is, "Jehovah place upon thee peace."
What a precious thing is peace with God, derived from God. Perfect reconciliation with Him. Unhindered intercourse with Him. No reserves—no reason for having any concealment with Him. A "spirit in which there is no guile"—no hypocrisy—no false pretences; because every defect, every sin, every evil corruption within and without, has been fully met, atoned for, and set aside in the death of the Lord Jesus.
But the priestly blessing goes further than this.
"Jehovah lift up his face upon thee, and place upon thee peace." Great as is the blessing, and beyond all price of having peace with God; yet there is a peace even beyond this—"the peace of God." The peace which God Himself enjoys: the peace which Christ can call "mypeace." Undisturbed by opposing powers of evil; unruffled by the violence and seeming triumphs of Satan, the peace of God like the calm crystal sea before the throne, remains firm and unshaken in the soul of the believer. It passeth all understanding;" for the very opposing elements that would seem to have the power to disturb it, only in fact confirm it. God sees the end from the beginning: He makes all things work out the counsels of His own
will. The believer knows this; he sees also the end that must in due time come, when all things shall terminate to the glory of God; thus the peace of God rules or garrisons his heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Phil. 4:7. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven." Psa. 11:3, 4. Perfect peace is there, and the dwelling place of the righteous is there. The promise, "thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee," (Isa. 26:3,) seems to allude to the plural of the peace-sacrifice, the word peace being doubled, (see margin,) "abundance of peace," "peace always by all means."
There are two portions of this priestly blessing which especially demand our attention.
" Jehovah cause his face to shine upon thee; "Jehovah lift up his face upon thee." So deeply important is it for the soul to realise the unclouded countenance of the Lord, that this portion of the blessing is twice repeated. One great object of the priesthood of the blessed Lord is that we may at all times enjoy free unhindered access to God: that we may never have to say He hides His face from us The fearfulness of that time when God was, we may say compelled, to withdraw the light of His countenance from His blessed Son, was to Christ the great ingredient of woe in the cup He had to drink for us. In some of the Psalms we find that terrible time of darkness anticipated by Him.
"Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily." Psa. 102:2.
"Hide not thy face from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my Salvation." Psa. 27:9.
"Lord, why casteth thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?" Psa. 88:14.
"Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit." Psa. 143:7.
"Hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily." Psa. 69:17.
And who but the Lord Jesus could really estimate what it was to be forsaken of God? He who was the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father, and who had walked all His days on earth in the unclouded light of the blessed countenance of God: He who had known and dwelt in
the fulness of joy which is in God's presence, (in God's countenance.) In the same Psalm, which begins with His deepest cry of agony, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me," He still looked forward to the restoration of the light of God's countenance as His great joy—"for he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither hath he hid his face from him, but when he cried unto him he heard." Psa. 22:24. And in the prospect of resurrection, He says, "as for me I will behold thy face in righteousness." Psa. 17:15. "Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy
countenance." Psa. 21:6.
Clouds of darkness and unbelief may come up in our souls, but the face of our God is unclouded. Satan may suggest that there is a hindrance to our approaching Him; but the precious blood and the High Priest over the House are complete answers to Satan's lie. We may be conscious of some allowed failure—or may be overtaken in some fault—the adversary will then tempt the soul, suggesting that our unfaithfulness has closed the door of entrance into the Holiest. But in truth, the place of confession is the mercy-seat. In the presence of God alone can we really pour out our hearts in self-abasement, and it is the assurance of His unabated love,
and that the way into the holiest is still open, that will really melt the heart
into contrition.
Aaron having blessed the people, went with Moses into the tabernacle. There may be in this a little shadow of the Lord's action as related in the end of the Gospel by Luke. "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." chap. 24:50, 51. Our great High Priest with uplifted hands, blessing His
people with all the full results of His wondrous sacrifice, was parted from
them, and still perpetuates the same streams of blessing, pouring them down upon them from heaven. For a little while He is concealed from our view. For a little time Moses and Aaron were together in the tabernacle, hidden from the eyes of the people. But they soon came out and together blessed the people, "and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people." Lev. 9:23. This was a second blessing direct from the
holy places, and in this blessing Moses took the lead, combining with Aaron. "Moses was king in Jeshurun." Deut. 33:5. Thus a kingly as well as priestly blessing flowed from the two, a kind of Melchizedeck blessing. Gen. 14:18-24.
This "king of righteousness and king of peace," combining in his own person king and priest, brought forth bread and wine to Abraham, after the latter had gained the first victory recorded in Scripture over five confederate kings. The whole scene of this remarkable meeting between the priest of the Most High God, and the father of many nations, is surrounded with emblems of royalty. The king of Sodom was there—it took place in the king's dale—the spoils won from the vanquished kings lay in profusion all around—and the first king who had a royal title from the Most High was present. He was also the priest of the Most High God—and four times is the remarkable title "the Most High God" repeated. God is acknowledged by this priest to be "the Most High, possessor of heaven and earth," and the blessing he bestows is from "the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth." A striking anticipation this of the time when the Lord Jesus shall come from heaven in all "His own glory, and in the glory of the Father, and in the glory of the holy angels," to bless with resurrection glory, His own victorious saints, and to claim the kingdoms of the world on behalf of the Most High God, who will then be manifestly "possessor of heaven and earth."
"And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces." Lev. 9:24.
They did not shout at the sight of the glory, nor fall on their faces in worship, although that sight must have been an unlooked for manifestation of the presence of God—but God's acceptance of the burnt-offering and the fat upon the altar, witnessed by the fire from before Him consuming them, raised a shout of gratitude and thanksgiving from their hearts, and bowed them down in reverence before Him.
It will not be "the appearing of the glory of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which will raise our shout of joy and our song of worship and of praise, but it will be the sight of Himself, "the Lamb as it had been slain," which will be the great cause of our joy and thanksgiving. It is that beautiful word "Himself" which is so comforting, and which so gladdens the heart, "the Lord Himselfshall descend from heaven with a shout," our hope is in Him, to seeHim as He is: (1 John 3:2.) and then shall we realize the value of that sacrifice, of that gift of God which is unspeakable. Then will true unhindered worship begin. Then shall we be truly humbled when we reach the exceeding height of glory.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Holy Linen Garments
Lev. 16:4
These garments are all of the same materials (bad) before referred to pp. 304, 415. No directions are given as to their being made: they are rather abruptly introduced, as if the high priest had understanding respecting them. They are also peculiarly specified as holy garments: and the coat is called a holy linen coat, or tunic vv. 4, 32. Therefore the high priest was to wash his flesh in water before he put them on.
These holy linen garments, seem to prefigure the perfectly holy and
righteous standing of the high priest before God—clean and spotless from head to foot—a foreshadowing of Him, whom God raised from the dead, and who would enter the holiest as the justified and righteous One, standing in His own intrinsic holiness before God, in order to make atonement for the sins of others. These garments for atonement were not of a representative character. The names of Israel were not upon the shoulders or breast of the High Priest graven in precious stones; and no golden plate on behalf of others adorned His forehead. It was like the commencement of a new order of priesthood in which the High
Priest should first accomplish full atonement, and afterwards take a
representative standing for glory and beauty on behalf of others.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Offerings for Sin
Lev. 16:5-10.
After being thus clothed, Aaron was to "take of the congregation of the
children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a
burnt-offering." These two goats he presented before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and cast lots upon them; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. The goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, was to be offered for a sin-offering, but the scapegoat was to be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement, to send him for a scapegoat into the wilderness. It is important here to remark that the two goats were one sin-offering, and the apparent object of having two was, to present two aspects of the same offering for sin. An atonement accomplished for the Lord to satisfy Him; and this atonement made manifest to the people in the scapegoat sent into the wilderness. So that the one goat is directed to be offered for sin, viz: that upon which Jehovah's lot fell; and the other is spoken of as making atonement by being let go as a scapegoat into the wilderness. And here on consulting the Hebrew, we shall find a remarkable and important expression. If
the 9th verse were literally translated, it would read thus, "and Aaron shall
bring the goat upon which Jehovah's lot went up, and shall make it sin.
Do we not find here the source from which that blessed sentence in the New Testament is derived, "he hath made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Cor. 5:21.
The goat on which the Lord's lot fell, and which therefore peculiarly
belonged to the Lord, was killed as bearing the sin of the people, see v. 15. No audible voice of the high priest laid the sin of the people upon its head; but in the act of killing the goat, he laid the judgment of death upon it because it represented the people's sin.
When the Lamb of God was nailed to the ree, He fell under the whole weight of God's judgment upon sin. God made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf—dealing with Him according to His own holy and just indignation against sin. Christ became a curse for us—according to the solemn words of Deut. 21:23, "he that is hanged is the curse of
God." Jesus was then our substitute—for what are we by nature but children of wrath? Jehovah's lot had fallen upon Him. God had selected Him in His own eternal counsels as the only one who could (because without sin) be the substitute for the sinner; and because He was the Son of man, the Son of God, the mighty God, He alone could endure the fearful penalty due to sin
And what a wonderful result is deduced in that verse in the epistle to the
Corinthians, from the fact of the Lord Jesus having been made sin—"that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." A different word is here used for made, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The righteousness of God—what a glorious manifestation will the church be hereafter as a whole, and every living member of it, of the righteousness of God—the full expression of His perfect righteousness, because one in life, in glory with Christ—"in Him"—deriving all from Him, and united to Him. Receiving out of His fulness; and manifesting His fulness.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
Sprinkling the Blood Upon the Mercy-Seat
Lev. 16:11-17
In the order of the sacrifices Aaron first killed the bullock, the sin
offering which was for himself to make atonement for himself and for his house. his bullock is three times recorded as the sin-offering for himself, vv. 6, 11; and wherever the atonement made by it is mentioned it is said to be for himself and his house, vv. 6, 11, 17. So closely are the high priest and his house linked on together; doubtless to draw our attention to the oneness between Christ and His house—only with a striking contrast also—Aaron's bullock for sin suffered for himself and his house—he being himself a sinner, and his house composed of sinners like himself.
Our High Priest knew no sin, and offered up Himself solely therefore on
behalf of others.
Aaron next took the censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before
the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and brought all
within the vail, and put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the
cloud of the incense might cover the mercy-seat upon the testimony, that he might not die.
The censer was apparently a golden censer. If we refer to the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. 9, a description of the tabernacle is given us on this day of atonement. No incense altar is mentioned standing in the holy place; but the golden censer in the holiest. The cherubim also,
shadowing the mercy-seat are called "cherubim of glory." On this day of
atonement the coals of fire were moved from off the incense altar, and the
golden censer being filled with them was carried within the vail. For the time therefore, the incense altar was inactive, and is not alluded to probably on that account in the 9th chapter of Hebrews. Jehovah appeared in the cloud upon the mercy-seat—the cloud of glory—and this may be the reason why the cherubim are called "cherubim of glory." Aaron notwithstanding the washing of his flesh, and the linen garments with which he was clothed, could not enter the holiest with the blood of atonement unless he could personally shelter himself under a cloud of incense. A perfume, not his own, but provided according to minute directions given by God.
Two epithets are especially attached to the incense, "pure" and
"holy"—and it was to be holy for the Lord. Exod. 30:35, 37. The frankincense, which was one ingredient of the incense, betokened purity. The word "pure" is connected with it. Exod. 30:34; Lev. 24:7; and the Hebrew word "Levohnah" has the appropriate signification of whiteness. One of the Hebrew words for the moon is almost the same as that for frankincense—"fair as the moon." Canticles 6:10. There is one of whom it is truly said, "Thou art fairer than the children of men;" whose unsullied purity formed a wondrous contrast with every other human being. A purity, a righteousness so made manifest upon the cross that even a Roman Centurion exclaimed, "Certainly this was a righteous man." Luke 23:47. The cloud of incense beaten small, as it wafted itself up to God, attracted with its singular perfume that Gentile soldier. Purity and holiness are not to be found here except in one whose graces were fully displayed before God. The incense was compounded of three sweet spices besides the frankincense, "stacte, onycha, and galbanum." The two last are not known; but the stacte is manifestly derived from a word signifying "to drop," both in the Hebrew, and in the Greek translation. A sweet spice that spontaneously dropped from the tree which produced it. Another emblem of the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Son of Man. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. His paths dropped fatness wherever He went, true love, sympathy, and pity flowed from His heart towards the weak, the weary, and the afflicted. He was the true Man in the midst of falsehood and deceit in human beings all around Him. True in His affection; true in His words; true in His sympathies; true in His rebukes of evil as well as in His forgiveness of sin. It is blessed to turn from the hypocrisies of our own
hearts, and of men around us, and contemplate Him "who did no violence," "neither was guile found in his mouth." Isa. 53:9; 1 Pet. 2:22. There was no effort in Him; He simply lived, manifesting life in all He did and said. There was no affectation of spirituality; He was what He appeared to be. Thus His words and ways were not forced. His sanctity was not assumed. He had nothing to lay aside when He came into the presence of others. He put on nothing to gain their admiration. He was always Himself, living in the presence of God, ever pleasing God Blessed contrast with men who have to assume religiousness to hide their own evil, who think that roughness is sincerity, and who are unnatural
oft-times even in the very presence of God.
The incense "tempered together pure and holy" may have reference to the sweet fragrance which the Man Christ Jesus ever presented to God. The Israelites were forbidden to make a perfume like it, "to smell thereto." Christ is not to be imitated by a false humility to gratify one's own self-conceit. There may be a shew of wisdom and humility by which men satisfy their own flesh, but this is like an imitation of the holy perfume to smell thereto. If we are imitators indeed of Him we must first have been washed in His precious blood, and be born of God. To follow Him would involve self-crucifixion instead of self-admiration.
The golden censer was filled with burning coals, and Aaron's hands
were filed with incense. The vessel that held the fire—type of the
holiness of God—was full. The altar from which that fire had originally been taken was a place where the holiness of God was exhibited in no scanty measure; and the censer was also filled, that in the very holiest itself that consuming fire might again be presented according to the divine estimate.
The high priest's hands were also full of sweet incense. He had to grasp that holy compound to the full extent of his ability, that his filled hands might answer to the filled censer. He then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of the incense covered the mercy-seat, and mingled with the cloud of glory upon the mercy-seat, in which Jehovah appeared.
We must here draw a contrast betwixt Aaron and Christ. The Lord Jesus
presented Himself to God on the morning of His resurrection—called of God an High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek. His entrance into heaven itself was like the bringing in of fresh incense before God; for He entered on the ground of His perfect obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. God had been glorified in Him, on that very earth where God had been so dishonoured by man; and when for the first time a Man stood in the presence of the glory of God before "the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," a cloud of human fragrance (may we not say?) mingled itself with the cloud of Divine glory. What a wondrous addition to the heaven of heavens! What an added glory was the entrance of the
risen Man there for the first time as the risen man—a man able to stand before God on the ground of His own righteousness, His own obedience, His own purity, His own holiness; and also able to say to God, "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."
May we not with reverence contemplate this resurrection of Jesus, and His
thus presenting Himself before God in heaven itself, as a marvellous change in the economy of the heavens. One who bore the likeness of the creature, standing in the midst of the throne of the Most High in such nearness to God? What indeed has God wrought! What marvels has He accomplished through His blessed Son!
Aaron next took of the blood of the bullock and sprinkled it with his finger
upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat, seven times. So also he did with the blood of the goat, the sin-offering for the people. Having sheltered himself under the cloud of incense, he was able to bring this record of death, the blood, and sprinkle it under the glory of God upon the mercy-seat, and upon the ground before the mercy-seat; first by way of atonement for himself and his house; and next on behalf of the people.
What a singular ritual this. The emblem of death placed where God in His
glory manifested Himself. What a wondrous coming together of things in
themselves opposed to one another. A record of life poured out on account of sin, brought into the holy of holies. And yet how this shadowy ritual pourtrays to us the truth in which our souls rejoice. The great enigma of truth olved to faith in the death of God's Son.
It was said of the Aaronic high priest that "he entereth into the holy place
every year with blood of others," (Heb. 9:25;) or, as it might be rendered,
strange or foreign blood, (alotrio,) seeing there was no affinity between the blood of a bullock, and a goat, and himself, a human being. It is written of Christ that "he by his own (idiou) blood entered in once into the holy places," Heb. 9:12; and, the word "his own" is again repeated, Heb.
13:12.
Aaron had to make atonement for himself as well as for his house. His own blood would have been of no avail for others, or for himself, for he was a sinner. Our High Priest is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;" and what He is now in the glory that He was when on earth, as far as regards holiness and harmlessness. Free from all human infirmity—the Son—who offered up Himself.
Aaron had to sprinkle the mercy-seat eastward, because his approach
into the holiest was from the east, and he had to sprinkle before the
mercy-seat, to establish a footing for himself before God; for his own feet
would have defiled the ground before the mercy-seat. The Lord Jesus, has His own rightful place—the Lamb as it had been slain in the midst of the throne—and He enables us sinners by nature, to enter into the holiest by His blood, "by a new and living way, which he hath new made for us, through the vail, that is to say, His flesh."
We have no threat of "lest he die" held out to us in our approaches to
God; but our very way is a living way, made new in contrast to all
other ways of old, and ever new with the fresh sprinkled blood, in contrast with the blood only sprinkled once a year. The sacrifice of Christ is as fresh in all its life-giving value, and in all its cleansing power to-day, as it was on the very day it was first offered. The blood of Christ has ever its full, and fresh, and living value, in contrast with the blood of victims which had to be renewed daily and yearly.
Aaron had to make atonement for the holy place, and for himself, his
household, and the congregation of Israel. "The holy place" throughout
this chapter where the word "place" is in italics, signifies the "most
holy" vv. 2, 16, 17, 20, 23, 27. Called "the holy sanctuary" in verse 33. No one was to be with him, or enter the tabernacle until he had completed that important work of atonement. Atonement properly speaking is all Godward; and is accomplished by one alone. The sinner who is atoned for has no part in the work. It is accomplished entirely by another. He is passive, and ignorant of the fact, until God reveals it to him by His Spirit through the Word. It is most important for the peace of the soul that this should be fully understood. And this type makes it very plain. Not one of
the congregation, nor one of Aaron's house was with him whilst he thus acted for them before God. They could not be aware whether even he was alive in the sanctuary, or what he had accomplished there. They were not in any attitude of prayer or supplication outside; but they silently waited in suspense till he came out; then they knew he had fulfilled all God's requirements; this being proved by the fact that he was alive.
The whole work of atonement, from beginning to end, has been accomplished by Christ alone; whether we look at the commencement of the work in the shedding of His blood on the cross, or at its completion in His resurrection as the great High Priest, and entering in, "once for all, by His own blood into the holy places, having obtained eternal redemption." Heb. 9:12. This is emphatically stated in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "when he had by himself purged our sins," 1:3; "this he did once when he offered up himself," 7:27. "he hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," 9:26. Alone upon the cross, the Lamb of God slain on account of sin. Alone in resurrection, the firstfruits of them that slept. Alone in the holiest with God, the great High Priest. He has offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, and has by Himself perfected the whole work of reconciliation which God committed to Him.
The sinner troubled in conscience on account of his sins, is not called upon by efforts of his own to reconcile God to himself. Every attempt of his own of this kind is the expression of an unbelieving heart, calling in question the full eternal redemption which Christ has obtained for us. He has to believe in a reconciliation accomplished. An atonement completed. A salvation finished. And that by the Lord Jesus Himself alone.
The "atonement for the holy place was because of the uncleanness of the
children of Israel, and because of all their transgressions in all their sins;"
or it might perhaps be rendered, "he shall make atonement upon the holy place, from the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and from their
transgressions in respect to, or on account of all their sins."
Throughout this chapter uncleanness is in the plural. (Heb. tumoth.)
Uncleannesses twice in v. 16, and once in v. 19. It seems especially to refer to personal defilements originating from man's very nature, the constitution of his body, or from disease. Transgressions are also mentioned. Sin is that evil thing in which we are conceived, which renders us utterly unclean from our very birth; children of wrath by nature. The corrupt body is an outward evidence of the evil taint which pervades us. Our mortal flesh, mortal as to every part; without a spot of it free from death and corruption, is a proof of what we are by nature as regards our whole being, unclean perishing sinners.
Transgressions are sins made manifest in direct acts contrary to the revealed mind of God. Atonement had to be made with reference to the uncleannesses of Israel, and their transgressions. These two manifestations of evil indicating their sins.
The law had no full type of the entire corruption of man. One of the objects for which it was given, was to develope that corruption in overt acts: "wherefore then the law? It was added because of transgressions." Gal. 3:19.
"Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound." Rom. 5:20. It was "the strength of sin." 1 Cor. 15:56. In the types therefore which form
part of the law, we do not discover that great truth, that a man is so
irremediably a sinner by nature as to need new birth, a new existence.
Perhaps leprosy affords the nearest type of the entire uncleanness of
the human being. But even here the priest could only deal with the
manifestations of the disease. In interpreting these shadows therefore we
have to go deeper than the types themselves. The atonement made by Christ does not only answer to God for us as regards our uncleannesses, but also in respect to the unclean nature itself, in which we entered this world as children of the first Adam. Our unclean selves; and here we must be careful to distinguish between ourselves and our corrupt nature. The
atonement made by Christ has not in any way cleansed, improved, or reconciled our flesh, our evil nature; for that is so irremediably bad, that all that God could do with it was utterly to condemn it. In the death of Christ for sin, God has "condemned (damned) sin in the flesh." Rom. 8:3. "Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed," 6:6. The body of the sins of the flesh have been put off from us as regards all judgment and wrath of God. We (not our evil nature) have been reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:21).
This is the great aspect of atonement. For what troubles us most is the
constant presence of an evil heart, an evil nature; an inclination for sin,
which will make itself to be felt notwithstanding all our efforts towards
practical holiness, and notwithstanding we are new creatures in Christ, and notwithstanding the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. As believers we have a right to look at this, the old man, and say, it has been crucified; it has been condemned once for all; it has been judged under the full wrath of God, poured out upon His own Son for us. And there is "now no condemnation" of any kind to us—no condemnation on account of this evil nature which we still know to exist—no condemnation on account of weakness, failures, ignorances, sins. The uncleannesses and transgressions of the people entered the sanctuary of God, and had to be met by the blood of atonement; or otherwise wrath must have burst
forth from before the Lord upon the people, or God must remove His
dwelling-place from the midst of them.
"The patterns of things in the heavens were purified with these (sacrifices),
but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:23, 24).
Notwithstanding our manifest sins and uncleannesses, of which to a great
extent we are unconscious, Christ has opened the way for us into the very glory of God—He has preceded us there with His own most precious blood—and now we can draw near with confidence, without defiling with our presence the holiest of all. We can confess our sins before the mercy-seat itself. We can bring our deep necessities, and find mercy and grace to help us. We can offer thanksgiving, praise and worship which God can accept because of the sweet savour of that precious blood. We can say, without fear, "thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret (sins) in the light of thy countenance," (Psa. 90:8.) because we know Christ is in the presence of God for us; His precious blood is in the very light of the glory of God on our behalf. The sins which have reached to heaven have been covered; blotted out by that sprinkled blood. "We have come to God, the judge of all." We have heard His sentence pronounced upon us as guilty and defiled sinners. We have seen that sentence executed in the death of His own Son. We have been justified from sin through that death, "justified by his blood." Rom. 5:9; 6:7.
We have come "to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant;" the High Priest in the presence of God for us, ministering to us all the blessings of that new covenant. We have come "to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel;" the blood of sprinkling upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat. God said to Cain respecting the blood of Abel, "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand." Gen. 4:10, 11. The blood cried for vengeance. The blood of
sprinkling to which we have come, speaketh incessantly mercy and grace; answers every accusation; calls down ceaseless blessings; cleanseth from all sin; utters a voice which delights the ear of God; and which enables Him to open His hand and fill us with good. The word "speaketh" is a blessed word, in contrast not only with the blood of Abel which cried for vengeance, but with the blood of bulls and of goats, which spoke but for a moment, and effected nothing in reality. Whereas this blood speaketh on and on with a ceaseless still small voice of power, until the day of full redemption, when the resurrection of the Church in glory will manifest for ever its mighty efficacy: and the voice of the precious blood will continue to sound until Israel, God's chosen nation, and others redeemed out of the world during the 1000 years reign of Christ, are clothed with immortality.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
Exod. 29:31-37; Lev. 8:31-36
Hitherto Aaron and his sons had been comparatively passive; the only action on their part was the laying their hands upon the heads of the various sacrifices. They were now however commanded to eat the flesh of the ram of consecration, (the ram with which their hands had been filled,) and the remainder of the bread of consecrations, (with which also their hands had been filled.) They were to be strengthened tor the Lord's service by feeding on "those things wherewith the atonement was made, to fill their hand, to sanctify them." Exod. 29:33. Atonement, consecration, and sanctification were all included under the one sacrifice of the ram, and the bread which now became their food, or as it were the source of life to them.
So it is also with the believer. He recognizes Christ as having in His death made a full atonement for his sin, and as having thereby consecrated and sanctified him as a king and priest to God; and the very act of thus contemplating Christ by faith, is life, is Christ within him. Paul as Saul of Tarsus had a revelation of Christ from heaven to him, and this was by the operation of God the revelation of Christ in him. Gal. 1:15, 16. If Jesus be the object to which as sinners we turn, then we receive him by faith, and "Christ is in us the hope of glory." Col. 1:27. Faith and life go together.
They are synchronous, we cannot place one before or after the other. Christ as our object, becomes Christ in us. And so also as to the nourishment of that life afterwards. We grow, and are strengthened, exactly in the same way in which life was originally communicated to us; that is by contemplating the same object, Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Looking at Him as an external object, moulds and fashions within into His likeness. "We all, with unveiled face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18. Moses wist not that his face shone, when he came down from the mount. He had been in converse with God, and had unconsciously to himself, caught some of the glory of the Lord
upon his countenance. We shall as surely, though perhaps imperceptibly to ourselves, be transformed into the image of Christ if we keep him constantly before us. Looking within ourselves will not advance us in spiritual growth; neither will mental efforts of our own advantage us; looking off ourselves unto Jesus, will have a transforming power.
The eating of those things wherewith the atonement was made, may have this truth in type. The Lord in John 6, to which reference has already been made, identifies his flesh and blood with bread; and identifies faith, and coming to Him with eating. "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
John 6:35.
"That he that seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life," 40. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life," 47. "I am that bread of life"—"that a man may
eat thereof, and not die"—"if any man eat of this bread he shall
live for ever." Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life." "He that eateth of this bread shall live for ever,"
vv. 48,50, 51, 54, 58. Thus the appropriation of Christ to oneself by
faith, believing on Him, is eating His flesh and drinking His blood. It is "to
taste that the Lord is gracious." 1 Pet. 2:3.
Eating is also a type of communion, or fellowship. It is so used in 1 Cor.
10:18-21. "Behold Israelafter the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?' They typically partook of the same sacrifices of which God had partaken from off the altar. There can be no partaking with another of the same food, unless there be peace and friendship between the two.
Atonement having been made, and perfect reconciliation established, the priests could eat of the sacrifices in the presence of God; could have fellowship with Him in those very things with which that atonement had been effected. In like manner the Lord's table becomes to the believer a place of fellowship with the Father and the Son. As a saved sinner he takes a place at that table, to remember Christ in God's presence, to worship and bless God for the gift of His Son, and in some measure
to enter into God's joy and God's thoughts respecting that Great Salvation
effected by Christ. What a wondrous invitaation is that given by the Father in Luke 15:23:"Let us eat and be merry." And again, "It was meet that weshould make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found," v. 32.
Do we as we might, and as we ought, enter even now into the joy of our Lord? Do we believe that God has greater delight in saving us, than we have in being saved? Do we gather round the Lord's table that we may rejoice with God in the death of His Son, and delight ourselves in Christ?
Peter in the vision of the sheet let down, had instruction conveyed to him respecting intercourse and fellowship with the Gentiles, under the type of eatingHe said to Cornelius and those assembled, "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." Act 10:28. And he subsequently related the vision to the saints at Jerusalem, in answer to their objection to his
having gone to men uncircumcised and having eaten with them. Acts 11. Here again eating is employed as a type of intercourse.
We have also a very distinct reference to the same truth in Heb.
13:10-14.
"We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the
tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come."
A very full and remarkable passage, to which reference has already been made in page 322, but which it may be well to enter into more fully. We are first told that we have an altar, in contrast with those who serve the tabernacle, and who have no right to eat of our altar. The altar here seems to be identical with the cross—the cross (if we may so say) transferred to the glory. We have a right to eat of the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, slain upon the tree. That flesh and blood was first eternal life to us, and next becomes the sustainment of that life, and enables us to abide in Christ. "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." John 6:56. The word here translated dwelleth is
the same that is elsewhere translated abideth.See John 15.
throughout.
The secret of abiding in Christ is to be feeding on Christ, especially as crucified for us. Some of the Lord's own people, it may be, desire to abide in Him, and yet know not how to arrive at that blessing. Two things were apparently in the mind of the Lord in John 15. First, that we should abide in Him; and next, that His words should abide in us, so that we might keep them. John 15:4, 7, 10. The former is practically attained by
constantly eating His flesh, and drinking His blood; the latter will result from a frequent meditation on His life and words. Ever remembering that we have the words of the Lord expanded, if we may so say, in the
Epistles.
They who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat of our altar. They have no right nor power to eat of the flesh and blood of Christ. And who, it may be asked, answer at the present day to those to whom the apostle thus alludes in his day? As a matter of fact there were none, even in Paul's day, who were serving the tabernacle; for the tabernacle had for some centuries been superseded by the temple. But the Spirit of God writes, throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews, as if the tabernacle were still in existence; because the principles to be maintained were such as had their more correct types during the tabernacle dispensation, and the sins to be avoided had been brought out in Israel's history during their sojourn in the wilderness, whilst the tabernacle was standing.
So at this present time, although both tabernacle and temple are gone, yet we as believers are looked upon as in the wilderness on our way to our rest; and the same errors are continued, the same false principles openly advocated, as if the tabernacle and temple were still standing. Any that proclaim efficacy in sacraments; any that uphold an order of priesthood distinct from all who are truly believers; any that arrogate to themselves or on behalf of others, the power to convey the Holy Ghost, or to qualify others for spiritual offices in the Church of God; are still serving the tabernacle. They have no right to eat of our altar. And for this reason, they have not owned a sacrifice sufficient to sanctify the people. They contend that something more than "Christ and Him crucified" is needful. They seem to think that the anointing of the Holy Ghost is not solely the consequence of a believer being at his conversion baptized into the
body of Christ. They practically deny that "Christ hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father." And they think that priests are to be made after a tabernacle fashion; a human consecration.
The apostle enforces his argument upon the ground that in the tabernacle service, "the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary for sin, are burned without the camp." When a sin-offering was slain of such a high character that its blood was carried either into the holy or most holy places, then the body of the victim was burned outside the camp—no portion was eaten by the priests—all was consumed. In the Antitype, "Jesus that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate." He was the true offering for sin. He suffered outside the gate of Jerusalem; outside that city of solemnities, in reproach and dishonour—outside all ceremonial religion, all observances of fleshly religiousness; outside all formalities. A wondrous reality; not a type or shadow; but the substance of all type and shadow. A true Christ; a true sacrifice; the true "Lamb of God." No human priest had to do with that sacrifice—no fleshly ceremonial was connected with it. Man in all his true-hearted hatred to God was there, an active agent in the work of slaughter. The serpent was present to bruise the heel of the woman's seed; the "sword of Jehovah of hosts smote the man that was his fellow." The marvellous reality made all rituals of priestly service, all sacrifices of old,
all type and shadow fade away into insignificance.
The victim on that tree of curse, who shed His own blood of such unspeakable value, made the blood of bulls and of goats utterly worthless. "Lebanon was not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering." The offerer who "offered up himself," for ever set aside the Aaronic high priest with all his outward glory and beauty, and all his offerings. The stripes upon the soul of Jesus, which extracted healing virtue for us poor sinners, for ever made of none effect, even "ten thousand rivers of oil." The precious blood was borne into heaven itself by the great High Priest in resurrection, and all holy places made with hands were set aside. Henceforth the true worshipper enters with confidence
through the blood into the holiest of all, the very presence of the living God, and finds the only Priest he needs already there for him. Sanctified once for all by that one offering, and perfected for ever by it, the believer, a the priest himself to God, feeds on the flesh and blood of Him who is the
sin-offering; setting aside by that act, even the very form of the Jewish
ritual. He needs no outward dress to make him holy; no imposition of human hands to separate him to God; no license from man "to serve the living God." He claims his sanctification, his separation, his consecration, his priesthood, his salvation from Him who suffered without the gate; the Son of God Himself—who has shed His own blood; and he boldly says to all mere human pretenders, to all who trust in carnal ordinances, "you have no right to eat off our altar."
But what follows this simple dependence upon Christ, this full reliance on His death, and on His death alone as all sufficient; "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." Outside the gate of Jerusalemwhere the blessed Lord suffered is again exchanged for "outside the camp." The church is looked upon like the camp of Israel of old, with the golden calf in the midst. A worldly religion, suited to the flesh, and adapted to keep the consciences of unregenrate sinners lulled in the sleep of death, has been universally adopted. The people can "sit down to eat and drink, and rise up to play," and have their religious ceremonies, and prayers, and ordinances, and priesthood, at the same time; and with the name of Jesus mixed with it all. What then is to be the course pursued by the true-hearted worshipper? "To go to Jesus without the camp bearing his reproach" We have been brought nigh to God by His blood within the vail; our path here below is to be outside all human order, all mixed worship, all priestly ceremonial. But it is to Him; it is to Jesus the crucified, the risen one, that we go; to walk with Him in holy, happy fellowship; to learn from Him the ever deep mysteries of His cross; to glory in that cross, whereby "the world has been crucified to us, and we to the world;" to lean on Him for support and strength, and to bear His reproach.
From whence did that reproach come upon Him? Not only from the openly profane; Herod and his men of war did indeed set him at nought; but chiefly from the temple worshippers, from the established priests and religious sects of the day. They cast Him out; they crucified Him in a place to which they would on no account themselves go, lest it should defile them—"the place of a skull." They preferred to keep the shadow, to trusting the substance. They were careful not to enter the hall of judgment lest they should defile themselves, "but that they might eat the passover," whilst the Lamb of God was in reality suffering on the tree outside the gate. A solemn thought this. The shadow may and does at this very
day in ten thousand cases supersede the substance. Men will earnestly contend for a form, a ceremony, a. shadow, whilst they utterly reject Him to whom the shadow points. We are exhorted "earnestly to contend for the faith;" "to hold fast the commonsalvation," the "great salvation."
Common alike to all the Lord's people; alike great to all that receive it. Men will be valiant on behalf of a sacrament, or of a holy day, when they trample at the same time, on the precious blood of Christ, and shrink in
every respect from "His reproach."
When superstition is exposed, or when the believer ceases to consent to belong to a worldly church, he will suffer the reproach of Christ. Let but a trifle be added to the truth, and the reproach of Christ will cease. If Paul would only have added an ordinance to justification by faith, the offence of the cross would have been at an end, and he would no longer have suffered persecution. Gal. 5:11.
Oh may we be ever in the holiest true worshippers of the Father, and feeding on the Lamb; and know the companionship of Jesus here with us outside the camp; and have the honour and glory of bearing somewhat of His reproach.
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." When the worship of Israelbecame mixed with idolatry, they made the wilderness their home. "They sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." A religion of form and ceremony, which is in truth a religion mixed
with idolatry, will always consist well with worldliness. But we have no
continuing city here; this is not our rest; the wilderness is no place for
pastime; we are strangers and pilgrims. The blood of the Lamb has separated us to God and to glory. May it be so in truth! May our lives belie our words! Let us remember the beautiful order of these truths. Eat of the altar in the holiest first; go outside to Christ next, and we shall have His reproach; lastly, seek the future city; look earnestly onwards to the coming of the Lord, when that glorious heavenly city will be revealed.
Aaron and his sons were finally directed to abide seven days, day and night, at the door of the tabernacle, and to keep the charge of the Lord. During all this time, a bullock for sin was daily offered upon the altar for atonement. Exod. 29:36. They were to be habituated to abide before the Lord; and they were to realize the value of the sin-offering, as thus enabling them so to abide there. The seven days of their week of consecration, may in type prefigure the whole of our earthly life. Our
whole week of service. We are to accustom ourselves to be in the presence of our God. Our life is to be spent there; only we have the privilege of abiding, not at the door, but in the very holiest of all.
May we rejoice to use this wondrous liberty of access, and not only "draw near," but "abide under the shadow of the Almighty;" "trusting under his wings." And what will be our help and power for this? The sin-offering of atonement constantly realized, by the help of the Holy Spirit. The precious blood recognized as upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat, carried into the holy of holies.
The chapter concludes with a change of the oft-repeated sentence, "as the Lord commanded Moses," to "So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses." They had themselves, through their consecration and the feeding on the sacrifice, power to fulfil God's commands, and to act independently of Moses. The power and intelligence of priests.
The Eighth Day Service
The next chapter of Leviticus, the
9th, opens with "the eighth day." This is a singular expression, because it is an additional day to a week already ended. And this eighth day would
necessarily be the first day of a new week. Thus we have a type of
resurrection. For resurrection could not be unless there had been a preceding creation, which had failed, having been ruined by sin. Resurrection is something entirely new, and yet it comes in upon that which is old.
The only feast which had an eighth day was the feast of Tabernacles. Lev. 23:36, 39; Num. 29:35. (See page 55 of this work.) Circumcision was on the eighth day. Lev. 12:3. In this rite there was evidently a shadow of what resurrection effects. The true circumcision; "the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh" Col. 2:11-13. "We are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Phil. 3:3. As the man-child was on the eighth day
circumcised, so on that day the firstling of oxen and sheep were given to God.
Exod. 22:30; Lev. 22:27. Another shadow of death and resurrection It is
also deeply interesting to observe that the leper, when healed of his disease of leprosy, and fulfilling the ritual appointed for his ceremonial cleansing, had an eighth day service, which in many respects approached very nearly to the ritual appointed for the consecration of the priests. Blood and oil were put upon the leper's right ear, and thumb, and great toe. Oil also was put upon his head. See also the sacrifices offered. Lev.
14:10-20,23-31 A cleansed leper obtained that to which no ordinary
Israelite who had never suffered under the fearful disease of leprosy, was
entitled. A saved sinner is raised by the grace of God to an infinitely higher
position, and is a far higher being in the scale of existence, than was Adam before his fall A man or woman who might have suffered under an issue, and been healed, presented sacrifices to the Lord on the eighth day. Lev. 15:14, 29. In both these types we have evidently allusions to the great fact brought out in all distinctness at length in the teaching and death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus; namely, that there can be no real cleanness before God, except through being born again Put to death with
Christ upon the tree, and quickened together with Him into life
eternal.
There is one more remarkable instance of an eighth day. The Nazarite was to bring his offering on that day under certain circumstances. Num. 6:10. The Nazarite, the cleansed leper, and the priest, had each an eighth day, and had certain ceremonies remarkably in common. The saved sinner, a priest to God, separated oft to God, combines all the three
types; and stands ever able to serve God, because he is, "risen with Christ." Col. 3:1-5.
The priests at the close of their seven days consecration were in an anomalous state. They were priests for themselves, but not for others. They had no power to offer on behalf of Israel. On the eighth day they were enabled to present sacrifices not only for themselves, but for the people. All our power to serve God; all our power to intercede for others; all our ability to walk here as strangers and pilgrims, is the result of resurrection. We are priests, because "partakers of a heavenly calling." Christ is "not ashamed to call us brethren," because we are "risen together with him." We can worship God, because we are "not in the flesh." We can intercede for others, because we are ourselves saved and have life in common with the risen Lord. We can present to God the precious blood of His son on our own behalf as worshippers already saved, and plead it on behalf of the unsaved, because we have in ourselves trusted in its value, and are accepted and justified, and risen as the evidence of its preciousness.
Let us trace from the Scriptures some of our responsibilities and power as priests to God.
First.—Our food for life and abiding fellowship with Christ is priestly; it is His flesh and blood. Heb. 13:10; John 6:54-58.
Next.—We have access into the holiest by His blood, and can worship God in Spirit and in truth. Heb. 10:19-22;John 4:21-23;1 Peter 2:5, 9.
Again.—We are to assemble ourselves together, and to exhort one another, and so much the more because the day of the Lord's coming is approaching. Heb. 10:25.
Then we are "to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, our reasonable (priestly) service." Rom. 12:1.
We are to discern, and put "difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean." Lev. 10:10; 11:47. To separate the precious from the vile. Jer. 15:19; 2 Cor. 6:14-18.
The real knowledge of sin and estimate of its fearful evil in the sight of God, is a priestly knowledge to be deepened and increased by daily communings with God respecting the sacrifice of His dear Son. The priest alone could decide in days of old as to the fearful plague of leprosy and all its manifested tokens.
The priests have also to instruct others in God's word, and God's thoughts, gathered from His word. Deut. 33:10; Lev. 10:11. See also Neh. 8:18, as an example.
Wisdom should be kept in their lips. Mal. 2:7.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom." Col. 3:16. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."Eph. 4:29. "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned
with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Col. 4:6.
Praise to God is a priestly service. "By him (Christ) therefore let us offer the sacrifices of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name;" or, as the margin has it, "confessingto his name." Heb. 13:15.
Let us remark the therefore of this verse. Praise must result from a heart fully confident of the entire and eternal salvation and sanctification, accomplished by the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The word thereforeis inserted because of this fact having been stated before. Also the word continually. All through our life, all through our circumstances, continuous praise. Also in intercourse with other priests, "teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Col. 3:16. "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." Eph. 5:19.
To give is a priestly action. "But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Heb. 13:16. The gifts of the Philippians to Paul, assisting him thereby to continue in his work of preaching the Gospel, were priestly offerings to God; "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God." Phil. 4:15-18.
Prayer and intercession mingled ever with thanksgiving are true priestly exercises of soul. See Rev. 5:8.
These are some of the chief services of priests to God, who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. In this 9th chap. of Lev. we find Aaron and his sons exercising on this eighth day their priestly calling; killing the sacrifices, handling the blood, selecting the pieces for the altar; in short, going through the whole routine with the necessary accuracy, and according to the precise directions given by God, in the power of the eighth day.
One sacrifice is added to the list, which had not been offered in their consecration; "a bullock and a ram for peace-offerings." It is worthy of remark that the word "sacrifice" in the Hebrew is confined to this peace-offering, or as it should be called "peace-sacrifice." So in Psalm 40:6, (where all the four offerings of the first four chapters of Leviticus are enumerated, as set aside by being fulfilled in Christ Himself,) the word "sacrifice" stands for peace-sacrifice. The word "peace" is in the plural number, as if to betoken peace of every kind—"perfect peace." Peace that shall answer every question of doubt or uncertainty; every opposing thought; whether of sin in the nature, sins committed, unworthiness, weakness, helplessness, infirmity. It was peculiarly a sacrifice of fellowship: the offerer eating the greater part of it in his own dwelling A kind of celebration of peace made between two parties, before opposed
to one another.
As the word "peace" was the friendly salutation between persons greeting one another; so this sacrifice was like a salutation of peace between God and the offerer. A striking type of Christ as the one through whom God is able to salute us with the blessed word peace. "He is our peace." Eph. 2:14. "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1.
"And you that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death." Col. 1:21, 22. "God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ."
2 Cor. 5:18.
This was the concluding sacrifice. "And Aaron lifted up his hand towards the people and blessed them." Lev. 9:22. He wafted towards them and upon them, the rich mercies procured by the sacrifices. Sin atoned for by the sin-offering. Acceptance with God in the sweet savour of the burnt-offering. Life through the bread of life the meat offering. And full reconciliation peace and fellowship with God, through the peace-sacrifice. And he uttered the priestly blessing.
"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; "The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; "The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
"And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." Num. 6:24-27.
Or, as it might be rendered—Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee; Jehovah cause his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; Jehovah lift up his face upon thee, and place upon thee peace.
It is remarkable that the last sacrifice was that which was for peace: and the conclusion of the priestly blessing is, "Jehovah place upon thee peace."
What a precious thing is peace with God, derived from God. Perfect reconciliation with Him. Unhindered intercourse with Him. No reserves—no reason for having any concealment with Him. A "spirit in which there is no guile"—no hypocrisy—no false pretences; because every defect, every sin, every evil corruption within and without, has been fully met, atoned for, and set aside in the death of the Lord Jesus.
But the priestly blessing goes further than this.
"Jehovah lift up his face upon thee, and place upon thee peace." Great as is the blessing, and beyond all price of having peace with God; yet there is a peace even beyond this—"the peace of God." The peace which God Himself enjoys: the peace which Christ can call "mypeace." Undisturbed by opposing powers of evil; unruffled by the violence and seeming triumphs of Satan, the peace of God like the calm crystal sea before the throne, remains firm and unshaken in the soul of the believer. It passeth all understanding;" for the very opposing elements that would seem to have the power to disturb it, only in fact confirm it. God sees the end from the beginning: He makes all things work out the counsels of His own
will. The believer knows this; he sees also the end that must in due time come, when all things shall terminate to the glory of God; thus the peace of God rules or garrisons his heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Phil. 4:7. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven." Psa. 11:3, 4. Perfect peace is there, and the dwelling place of the righteous is there. The promise, "thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee," (Isa. 26:3,) seems to allude to the plural of the peace-sacrifice, the word peace being doubled, (see margin,) "abundance of peace," "peace always by all means."
There are two portions of this priestly blessing which especially demand our attention.
" Jehovah cause his face to shine upon thee; "Jehovah lift up his face upon thee." So deeply important is it for the soul to realise the unclouded countenance of the Lord, that this portion of the blessing is twice repeated. One great object of the priesthood of the blessed Lord is that we may at all times enjoy free unhindered access to God: that we may never have to say He hides His face from us The fearfulness of that time when God was, we may say compelled, to withdraw the light of His countenance from His blessed Son, was to Christ the great ingredient of woe in the cup He had to drink for us. In some of the Psalms we find that terrible time of darkness anticipated by Him.
"Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily." Psa. 102:2.
"Hide not thy face from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my Salvation." Psa. 27:9.
"Lord, why casteth thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?" Psa. 88:14.
"Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit." Psa. 143:7.
"Hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily." Psa. 69:17.
And who but the Lord Jesus could really estimate what it was to be forsaken of God? He who was the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father, and who had walked all His days on earth in the unclouded light of the blessed countenance of God: He who had known and dwelt in
the fulness of joy which is in God's presence, (in God's countenance.) In the same Psalm, which begins with His deepest cry of agony, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me," He still looked forward to the restoration of the light of God's countenance as His great joy—"for he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither hath he hid his face from him, but when he cried unto him he heard." Psa. 22:24. And in the prospect of resurrection, He says, "as for me I will behold thy face in righteousness." Psa. 17:15. "Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy
countenance." Psa. 21:6.
Clouds of darkness and unbelief may come up in our souls, but the face of our God is unclouded. Satan may suggest that there is a hindrance to our approaching Him; but the precious blood and the High Priest over the House are complete answers to Satan's lie. We may be conscious of some allowed failure—or may be overtaken in some fault—the adversary will then tempt the soul, suggesting that our unfaithfulness has closed the door of entrance into the Holiest. But in truth, the place of confession is the mercy-seat. In the presence of God alone can we really pour out our hearts in self-abasement, and it is the assurance of His unabated love,
and that the way into the holiest is still open, that will really melt the heart
into contrition.
Aaron having blessed the people, went with Moses into the tabernacle. There may be in this a little shadow of the Lord's action as related in the end of the Gospel by Luke. "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." chap. 24:50, 51. Our great High Priest with uplifted hands, blessing His
people with all the full results of His wondrous sacrifice, was parted from
them, and still perpetuates the same streams of blessing, pouring them down upon them from heaven. For a little while He is concealed from our view. For a little time Moses and Aaron were together in the tabernacle, hidden from the eyes of the people. But they soon came out and together blessed the people, "and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people." Lev. 9:23. This was a second blessing direct from the
holy places, and in this blessing Moses took the lead, combining with Aaron. "Moses was king in Jeshurun." Deut. 33:5. Thus a kingly as well as priestly blessing flowed from the two, a kind of Melchizedeck blessing. Gen. 14:18-24.
This "king of righteousness and king of peace," combining in his own person king and priest, brought forth bread and wine to Abraham, after the latter had gained the first victory recorded in Scripture over five confederate kings. The whole scene of this remarkable meeting between the priest of the Most High God, and the father of many nations, is surrounded with emblems of royalty. The king of Sodom was there—it took place in the king's dale—the spoils won from the vanquished kings lay in profusion all around—and the first king who had a royal title from the Most High was present. He was also the priest of the Most High God—and four times is the remarkable title "the Most High God" repeated. God is acknowledged by this priest to be "the Most High, possessor of heaven and earth," and the blessing he bestows is from "the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth." A striking anticipation this of the time when the Lord Jesus shall come from heaven in all "His own glory, and in the glory of the Father, and in the glory of the holy angels," to bless with resurrection glory, His own victorious saints, and to claim the kingdoms of the world on behalf of the Most High God, who will then be manifestly "possessor of heaven and earth."
"And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces." Lev. 9:24.
They did not shout at the sight of the glory, nor fall on their faces in worship, although that sight must have been an unlooked for manifestation of the presence of God—but God's acceptance of the burnt-offering and the fat upon the altar, witnessed by the fire from before Him consuming them, raised a shout of gratitude and thanksgiving from their hearts, and bowed them down in reverence before Him.
It will not be "the appearing of the glory of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which will raise our shout of joy and our song of worship and of praise, but it will be the sight of Himself, "the Lamb as it had been slain," which will be the great cause of our joy and thanksgiving. It is that beautiful word "Himself" which is so comforting, and which so gladdens the heart, "the Lord Himselfshall descend from heaven with a shout," our hope is in Him, to seeHim as He is: (1 John 3:2.) and then shall we realize the value of that sacrifice, of that gift of God which is unspeakable. Then will true unhindered worship begin. Then shall we be truly humbled when we reach the exceeding height of glory.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Holy Linen Garments
Lev. 16:4
These garments are all of the same materials (bad) before referred to pp. 304, 415. No directions are given as to their being made: they are rather abruptly introduced, as if the high priest had understanding respecting them. They are also peculiarly specified as holy garments: and the coat is called a holy linen coat, or tunic vv. 4, 32. Therefore the high priest was to wash his flesh in water before he put them on.
These holy linen garments, seem to prefigure the perfectly holy and
righteous standing of the high priest before God—clean and spotless from head to foot—a foreshadowing of Him, whom God raised from the dead, and who would enter the holiest as the justified and righteous One, standing in His own intrinsic holiness before God, in order to make atonement for the sins of others. These garments for atonement were not of a representative character. The names of Israel were not upon the shoulders or breast of the High Priest graven in precious stones; and no golden plate on behalf of others adorned His forehead. It was like the commencement of a new order of priesthood in which the High
Priest should first accomplish full atonement, and afterwards take a
representative standing for glory and beauty on behalf of others.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Offerings for Sin
Lev. 16:5-10.
After being thus clothed, Aaron was to "take of the congregation of the
children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a
burnt-offering." These two goats he presented before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and cast lots upon them; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. The goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, was to be offered for a sin-offering, but the scapegoat was to be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement, to send him for a scapegoat into the wilderness. It is important here to remark that the two goats were one sin-offering, and the apparent object of having two was, to present two aspects of the same offering for sin. An atonement accomplished for the Lord to satisfy Him; and this atonement made manifest to the people in the scapegoat sent into the wilderness. So that the one goat is directed to be offered for sin, viz: that upon which Jehovah's lot fell; and the other is spoken of as making atonement by being let go as a scapegoat into the wilderness. And here on consulting the Hebrew, we shall find a remarkable and important expression. If
the 9th verse were literally translated, it would read thus, "and Aaron shall
bring the goat upon which Jehovah's lot went up, and shall make it sin.
Do we not find here the source from which that blessed sentence in the New Testament is derived, "he hath made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Cor. 5:21.
The goat on which the Lord's lot fell, and which therefore peculiarly
belonged to the Lord, was killed as bearing the sin of the people, see v. 15. No audible voice of the high priest laid the sin of the people upon its head; but in the act of killing the goat, he laid the judgment of death upon it because it represented the people's sin.
When the Lamb of God was nailed to the ree, He fell under the whole weight of God's judgment upon sin. God made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf—dealing with Him according to His own holy and just indignation against sin. Christ became a curse for us—according to the solemn words of Deut. 21:23, "he that is hanged is the curse of
God." Jesus was then our substitute—for what are we by nature but children of wrath? Jehovah's lot had fallen upon Him. God had selected Him in His own eternal counsels as the only one who could (because without sin) be the substitute for the sinner; and because He was the Son of man, the Son of God, the mighty God, He alone could endure the fearful penalty due to sin
And what a wonderful result is deduced in that verse in the epistle to the
Corinthians, from the fact of the Lord Jesus having been made sin—"that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." A different word is here used for made, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The righteousness of God—what a glorious manifestation will the church be hereafter as a whole, and every living member of it, of the righteousness of God—the full expression of His perfect righteousness, because one in life, in glory with Christ—"in Him"—deriving all from Him, and united to Him. Receiving out of His fulness; and manifesting His fulness.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
Sprinkling the Blood Upon the Mercy-Seat
Lev. 16:11-17
In the order of the sacrifices Aaron first killed the bullock, the sin
offering which was for himself to make atonement for himself and for his house. his bullock is three times recorded as the sin-offering for himself, vv. 6, 11; and wherever the atonement made by it is mentioned it is said to be for himself and his house, vv. 6, 11, 17. So closely are the high priest and his house linked on together; doubtless to draw our attention to the oneness between Christ and His house—only with a striking contrast also—Aaron's bullock for sin suffered for himself and his house—he being himself a sinner, and his house composed of sinners like himself.
Our High Priest knew no sin, and offered up Himself solely therefore on
behalf of others.
Aaron next took the censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before
the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and brought all
within the vail, and put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the
cloud of the incense might cover the mercy-seat upon the testimony, that he might not die.
The censer was apparently a golden censer. If we refer to the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. 9, a description of the tabernacle is given us on this day of atonement. No incense altar is mentioned standing in the holy place; but the golden censer in the holiest. The cherubim also,
shadowing the mercy-seat are called "cherubim of glory." On this day of
atonement the coals of fire were moved from off the incense altar, and the
golden censer being filled with them was carried within the vail. For the time therefore, the incense altar was inactive, and is not alluded to probably on that account in the 9th chapter of Hebrews. Jehovah appeared in the cloud upon the mercy-seat—the cloud of glory—and this may be the reason why the cherubim are called "cherubim of glory." Aaron notwithstanding the washing of his flesh, and the linen garments with which he was clothed, could not enter the holiest with the blood of atonement unless he could personally shelter himself under a cloud of incense. A perfume, not his own, but provided according to minute directions given by God.
Two epithets are especially attached to the incense, "pure" and
"holy"—and it was to be holy for the Lord. Exod. 30:35, 37. The frankincense, which was one ingredient of the incense, betokened purity. The word "pure" is connected with it. Exod. 30:34; Lev. 24:7; and the Hebrew word "Levohnah" has the appropriate signification of whiteness. One of the Hebrew words for the moon is almost the same as that for frankincense—"fair as the moon." Canticles 6:10. There is one of whom it is truly said, "Thou art fairer than the children of men;" whose unsullied purity formed a wondrous contrast with every other human being. A purity, a righteousness so made manifest upon the cross that even a Roman Centurion exclaimed, "Certainly this was a righteous man." Luke 23:47. The cloud of incense beaten small, as it wafted itself up to God, attracted with its singular perfume that Gentile soldier. Purity and holiness are not to be found here except in one whose graces were fully displayed before God. The incense was compounded of three sweet spices besides the frankincense, "stacte, onycha, and galbanum." The two last are not known; but the stacte is manifestly derived from a word signifying "to drop," both in the Hebrew, and in the Greek translation. A sweet spice that spontaneously dropped from the tree which produced it. Another emblem of the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Son of Man. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. His paths dropped fatness wherever He went, true love, sympathy, and pity flowed from His heart towards the weak, the weary, and the afflicted. He was the true Man in the midst of falsehood and deceit in human beings all around Him. True in His affection; true in His words; true in His sympathies; true in His rebukes of evil as well as in His forgiveness of sin. It is blessed to turn from the hypocrisies of our own
hearts, and of men around us, and contemplate Him "who did no violence," "neither was guile found in his mouth." Isa. 53:9; 1 Pet. 2:22. There was no effort in Him; He simply lived, manifesting life in all He did and said. There was no affectation of spirituality; He was what He appeared to be. Thus His words and ways were not forced. His sanctity was not assumed. He had nothing to lay aside when He came into the presence of others. He put on nothing to gain their admiration. He was always Himself, living in the presence of God, ever pleasing God Blessed contrast with men who have to assume religiousness to hide their own evil, who think that roughness is sincerity, and who are unnatural
oft-times even in the very presence of God.
The incense "tempered together pure and holy" may have reference to the sweet fragrance which the Man Christ Jesus ever presented to God. The Israelites were forbidden to make a perfume like it, "to smell thereto." Christ is not to be imitated by a false humility to gratify one's own self-conceit. There may be a shew of wisdom and humility by which men satisfy their own flesh, but this is like an imitation of the holy perfume to smell thereto. If we are imitators indeed of Him we must first have been washed in His precious blood, and be born of God. To follow Him would involve self-crucifixion instead of self-admiration.
The golden censer was filled with burning coals, and Aaron's hands
were filed with incense. The vessel that held the fire—type of the
holiness of God—was full. The altar from which that fire had originally been taken was a place where the holiness of God was exhibited in no scanty measure; and the censer was also filled, that in the very holiest itself that consuming fire might again be presented according to the divine estimate.
The high priest's hands were also full of sweet incense. He had to grasp that holy compound to the full extent of his ability, that his filled hands might answer to the filled censer. He then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of the incense covered the mercy-seat, and mingled with the cloud of glory upon the mercy-seat, in which Jehovah appeared.
We must here draw a contrast betwixt Aaron and Christ. The Lord Jesus
presented Himself to God on the morning of His resurrection—called of God an High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek. His entrance into heaven itself was like the bringing in of fresh incense before God; for He entered on the ground of His perfect obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. God had been glorified in Him, on that very earth where God had been so dishonoured by man; and when for the first time a Man stood in the presence of the glory of God before "the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," a cloud of human fragrance (may we not say?) mingled itself with the cloud of Divine glory. What a wondrous addition to the heaven of heavens! What an added glory was the entrance of the
risen Man there for the first time as the risen man—a man able to stand before God on the ground of His own righteousness, His own obedience, His own purity, His own holiness; and also able to say to God, "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."
May we not with reverence contemplate this resurrection of Jesus, and His
thus presenting Himself before God in heaven itself, as a marvellous change in the economy of the heavens. One who bore the likeness of the creature, standing in the midst of the throne of the Most High in such nearness to God? What indeed has God wrought! What marvels has He accomplished through His blessed Son!
Aaron next took of the blood of the bullock and sprinkled it with his finger
upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat, seven times. So also he did with the blood of the goat, the sin-offering for the people. Having sheltered himself under the cloud of incense, he was able to bring this record of death, the blood, and sprinkle it under the glory of God upon the mercy-seat, and upon the ground before the mercy-seat; first by way of atonement for himself and his house; and next on behalf of the people.
What a singular ritual this. The emblem of death placed where God in His
glory manifested Himself. What a wondrous coming together of things in
themselves opposed to one another. A record of life poured out on account of sin, brought into the holy of holies. And yet how this shadowy ritual pourtrays to us the truth in which our souls rejoice. The great enigma of truth olved to faith in the death of God's Son.
It was said of the Aaronic high priest that "he entereth into the holy place
every year with blood of others," (Heb. 9:25;) or, as it might be rendered,
strange or foreign blood, (alotrio,) seeing there was no affinity between the blood of a bullock, and a goat, and himself, a human being. It is written of Christ that "he by his own (idiou) blood entered in once into the holy places," Heb. 9:12; and, the word "his own" is again repeated, Heb.
13:12.
Aaron had to make atonement for himself as well as for his house. His own blood would have been of no avail for others, or for himself, for he was a sinner. Our High Priest is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;" and what He is now in the glory that He was when on earth, as far as regards holiness and harmlessness. Free from all human infirmity—the Son—who offered up Himself.
Aaron had to sprinkle the mercy-seat eastward, because his approach
into the holiest was from the east, and he had to sprinkle before the
mercy-seat, to establish a footing for himself before God; for his own feet
would have defiled the ground before the mercy-seat. The Lord Jesus, has His own rightful place—the Lamb as it had been slain in the midst of the throne—and He enables us sinners by nature, to enter into the holiest by His blood, "by a new and living way, which he hath new made for us, through the vail, that is to say, His flesh."
We have no threat of "lest he die" held out to us in our approaches to
God; but our very way is a living way, made new in contrast to all
other ways of old, and ever new with the fresh sprinkled blood, in contrast with the blood only sprinkled once a year. The sacrifice of Christ is as fresh in all its life-giving value, and in all its cleansing power to-day, as it was on the very day it was first offered. The blood of Christ has ever its full, and fresh, and living value, in contrast with the blood of victims which had to be renewed daily and yearly.
Aaron had to make atonement for the holy place, and for himself, his
household, and the congregation of Israel. "The holy place" throughout
this chapter where the word "place" is in italics, signifies the "most
holy" vv. 2, 16, 17, 20, 23, 27. Called "the holy sanctuary" in verse 33. No one was to be with him, or enter the tabernacle until he had completed that important work of atonement. Atonement properly speaking is all Godward; and is accomplished by one alone. The sinner who is atoned for has no part in the work. It is accomplished entirely by another. He is passive, and ignorant of the fact, until God reveals it to him by His Spirit through the Word. It is most important for the peace of the soul that this should be fully understood. And this type makes it very plain. Not one of
the congregation, nor one of Aaron's house was with him whilst he thus acted for them before God. They could not be aware whether even he was alive in the sanctuary, or what he had accomplished there. They were not in any attitude of prayer or supplication outside; but they silently waited in suspense till he came out; then they knew he had fulfilled all God's requirements; this being proved by the fact that he was alive.
The whole work of atonement, from beginning to end, has been accomplished by Christ alone; whether we look at the commencement of the work in the shedding of His blood on the cross, or at its completion in His resurrection as the great High Priest, and entering in, "once for all, by His own blood into the holy places, having obtained eternal redemption." Heb. 9:12. This is emphatically stated in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "when he had by himself purged our sins," 1:3; "this he did once when he offered up himself," 7:27. "he hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," 9:26. Alone upon the cross, the Lamb of God slain on account of sin. Alone in resurrection, the firstfruits of them that slept. Alone in the holiest with God, the great High Priest. He has offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, and has by Himself perfected the whole work of reconciliation which God committed to Him.
The sinner troubled in conscience on account of his sins, is not called upon by efforts of his own to reconcile God to himself. Every attempt of his own of this kind is the expression of an unbelieving heart, calling in question the full eternal redemption which Christ has obtained for us. He has to believe in a reconciliation accomplished. An atonement completed. A salvation finished. And that by the Lord Jesus Himself alone.
The "atonement for the holy place was because of the uncleanness of the
children of Israel, and because of all their transgressions in all their sins;"
or it might perhaps be rendered, "he shall make atonement upon the holy place, from the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and from their
transgressions in respect to, or on account of all their sins."
Throughout this chapter uncleanness is in the plural. (Heb. tumoth.)
Uncleannesses twice in v. 16, and once in v. 19. It seems especially to refer to personal defilements originating from man's very nature, the constitution of his body, or from disease. Transgressions are also mentioned. Sin is that evil thing in which we are conceived, which renders us utterly unclean from our very birth; children of wrath by nature. The corrupt body is an outward evidence of the evil taint which pervades us. Our mortal flesh, mortal as to every part; without a spot of it free from death and corruption, is a proof of what we are by nature as regards our whole being, unclean perishing sinners.
Transgressions are sins made manifest in direct acts contrary to the revealed mind of God. Atonement had to be made with reference to the uncleannesses of Israel, and their transgressions. These two manifestations of evil indicating their sins.
The law had no full type of the entire corruption of man. One of the objects for which it was given, was to develope that corruption in overt acts: "wherefore then the law? It was added because of transgressions." Gal. 3:19.
"Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound." Rom. 5:20. It was "the strength of sin." 1 Cor. 15:56. In the types therefore which form
part of the law, we do not discover that great truth, that a man is so
irremediably a sinner by nature as to need new birth, a new existence.
Perhaps leprosy affords the nearest type of the entire uncleanness of
the human being. But even here the priest could only deal with the
manifestations of the disease. In interpreting these shadows therefore we
have to go deeper than the types themselves. The atonement made by Christ does not only answer to God for us as regards our uncleannesses, but also in respect to the unclean nature itself, in which we entered this world as children of the first Adam. Our unclean selves; and here we must be careful to distinguish between ourselves and our corrupt nature. The
atonement made by Christ has not in any way cleansed, improved, or reconciled our flesh, our evil nature; for that is so irremediably bad, that all that God could do with it was utterly to condemn it. In the death of Christ for sin, God has "condemned (damned) sin in the flesh." Rom. 8:3. "Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed," 6:6. The body of the sins of the flesh have been put off from us as regards all judgment and wrath of God. We (not our evil nature) have been reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:21).
This is the great aspect of atonement. For what troubles us most is the
constant presence of an evil heart, an evil nature; an inclination for sin,
which will make itself to be felt notwithstanding all our efforts towards
practical holiness, and notwithstanding we are new creatures in Christ, and notwithstanding the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. As believers we have a right to look at this, the old man, and say, it has been crucified; it has been condemned once for all; it has been judged under the full wrath of God, poured out upon His own Son for us. And there is "now no condemnation" of any kind to us—no condemnation on account of this evil nature which we still know to exist—no condemnation on account of weakness, failures, ignorances, sins. The uncleannesses and transgressions of the people entered the sanctuary of God, and had to be met by the blood of atonement; or otherwise wrath must have burst
forth from before the Lord upon the people, or God must remove His
dwelling-place from the midst of them.
"The patterns of things in the heavens were purified with these (sacrifices),
but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:23, 24).
Notwithstanding our manifest sins and uncleannesses, of which to a great
extent we are unconscious, Christ has opened the way for us into the very glory of God—He has preceded us there with His own most precious blood—and now we can draw near with confidence, without defiling with our presence the holiest of all. We can confess our sins before the mercy-seat itself. We can bring our deep necessities, and find mercy and grace to help us. We can offer thanksgiving, praise and worship which God can accept because of the sweet savour of that precious blood. We can say, without fear, "thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret (sins) in the light of thy countenance," (Psa. 90:8.) because we know Christ is in the presence of God for us; His precious blood is in the very light of the glory of God on our behalf. The sins which have reached to heaven have been covered; blotted out by that sprinkled blood. "We have come to God, the judge of all." We have heard His sentence pronounced upon us as guilty and defiled sinners. We have seen that sentence executed in the death of His own Son. We have been justified from sin through that death, "justified by his blood." Rom. 5:9; 6:7.
We have come "to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant;" the High Priest in the presence of God for us, ministering to us all the blessings of that new covenant. We have come "to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel;" the blood of sprinkling upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat. God said to Cain respecting the blood of Abel, "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand." Gen. 4:10, 11. The blood cried for vengeance. The blood of
sprinkling to which we have come, speaketh incessantly mercy and grace; answers every accusation; calls down ceaseless blessings; cleanseth from all sin; utters a voice which delights the ear of God; and which enables Him to open His hand and fill us with good. The word "speaketh" is a blessed word, in contrast not only with the blood of Abel which cried for vengeance, but with the blood of bulls and of goats, which spoke but for a moment, and effected nothing in reality. Whereas this blood speaketh on and on with a ceaseless still small voice of power, until the day of full redemption, when the resurrection of the Church in glory will manifest for ever its mighty efficacy: and the voice of the precious blood will continue to sound until Israel, God's chosen nation, and others redeemed out of the world during the 1000 years reign of Christ, are clothed with immortality.
—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
The Day of Atonement
Lev. 16:1-3
The book of Leviticus seems to change its character and mode of teaching, after the 10th chapter. The sacrifices and consecration of the priesthood, which we have been considering occupy the first nine chapters. But when, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu, the priesthood had proved itself an utter failure, another course of instruction is pursued by the Lord, and we have first, descriptions of unclean animals, and next, chapter upon chapter detailing various uncleannesses—leprosy, issues, and the like. It is as if the higher mode of instruction had been first adopted by God, namely, to teach His holiness and hatred to sin, through the purity, and preciousness, and value of the sacrifices: and the priests having failed thus to learn that they had to deal with a Holy God, a lower course of instruction is adopted, teaching what man is, and what the world is; filled with iniquity and uncleanness. Then follows this grand chapter of the book.
In each of the first four books of the Word of God, there occurs one striking chapter to which we instinctively turn for typical instruction, respecting the great truths of salvation. The 22nd chapter of Genesis, Abraham offering up "his only begotten son," directs our thoughts to the Lamb of God. God's blessed Son, revealed to us in the Gospel by John.
The 12th of Exodus, is a foundation chapter from whence we gather the great truth of redemption by the blood, there for the first time prefigured.
This 16th of Leviticus which we are about to consider is the great chapter
depicting atonement and its results. It is frequently referred to in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Whilst in the book of Numbers we have the ashes of the red heifer and the water of purification in the 19th chapter, which affords us deep lessons respecting the constant defilements we incur, and the constant need of the blood of cleansing.
God gave the directions contained in this chapter of Lev. respecting the day of atonement, after the death of Nadab and Abihu. On the very day of their consecration (elated perhaps by the high position into which they had been brought) they "took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord." chap. 10:1.
Fire had come out from before the Lord and had consumed the sacrifices upon the altar. These two eldest sons of Aaron should have taken coals of burning fire from off that altar fire which had come from the Lord. But instead of this, they put fire in their censers which was common to them, but strange to the Lord. May we not regard this as another form of Cain
worship? Another warning against the Unitarianism, or Socinianism of the day? Cain offered an offering without the shedding of blood. His was a religion of works, though the name of the Lord was in it. His was not the worship of a false God—but it was false worship of the true God, worship which was not preceded by salvation.
Nadab and Abihu were quite correct as to censer, incense, and the holy place: but they did not recognize that it was the fire from God which had fed upon the sacrifices, and that no fragrance could come up to God from the hands even of His priests, unless through the sacrifice consumed in judgment on the altar. Christ may be owned as a true Christ. He may even be Confessed with the lip as the Son of God. Prayer and worship may be conducted in His name—but unless His death be acknowledged and trusted in, as a death in the way of atonement, a death not meritorious only because of His fortitude and meekness and grace, but of unspeakable value because God laid iniquity upon Him, and he suffered at the hands of God who made His soul an offering for sin—unless this
be owned, the worshipper whoever he be is offering strange fire, mingled though it be with the name of Christ.
This sin of Nadab and Abihu is stamped upon them. See Numbers 3:4; 26:61.
"Our God is a consuming fire." Heb. 12:29. Some believers are wont to say that "God out of Christ is a consuming fire"—but the word says, "our God." God known in Christ is a consuming fire. We read the consuming fire of His holiness nowhere so plainly and forcibly as in the death of His own Son upon the cross. We reverence Him and serve Him with godly fear because we know His solemn judgment of sin and of ourselves as sinners, in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God upon the tree. Nadab and Abihu were devoured by the fire from the Lord, and died before the Lord, instead of living before Him, because they had neglected to observe and use the fire from before the Lord which had consumed the victim on
the altar. The judgment of God must be seen poured out upon Christ as the sinner's substitute in death; or, the sinner himself will have to know and realize the fearfulness of it throughout eternity.
The words "before the Lord," often repeated in the chapters we have
been considering, and in this 16th chapter, are solemn words. Solemn and blessed if we have everlasting life, and live and serve before Him now and for ever. Solemn and terrible if we look at the judgment upon the sinner who has neglected or misused the great salvation presented in Christ, and who will receive his judgment from "before the Lord," and will be "punished with everlasting estruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power." 2 Thess. 1:8, 9.
"Speak unto Aaron thy brother." This is the only occasion on which Moses was directed to speak to Aaron his brother. The Lord does not say, Aaron the high priest: indeed throughout the whole ceremony of the day of atonement the word priest does not occur. It is only mentioned at the close of the chapter, vv. 32, 33. The death of Nadab and Abihu had made
manifest the insufficiency of the whole family of Levi to perpetuate any real
lasting blessing. This day of atonement was the establishment of an entirely new ritual, both as regarded Aaron and his house, and the people Israel. Aaron sinks ack to the mere brother of Moses. God had before spoken of him in the same way when giving directions for separating him and his sons off for the priests' office; and also for making the garments for glory and beauty in which they were to be consecrated. Exod.
28:1, 2, 4. Subsequently to this day of atonement the same expression is significantly used by the Lord when He directed Moses and Aaron to
speak to the rock, (Num. 20:8;) and when by their joint failure, they proved indeed that they were brethren. Also God calls Aaron the brother of Moses, when He tells Moses that he shall die. Numb. 27:13; Deut. 32:50. It was altogether a failing family. Like the law itself, those who had to carry it out were weak and unprofitable
Heb. 7:18. And this very addition to the law of another day, only the
more evidenced the necessity that another priest should rise after another
order, and not after the order of Aaron. Heb. 7:11.
"That he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail, before
the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat." Before this, it would appear that Aaron as the high priest was to have unrestricted access into the holy of holies. But from henceforth he could not enter there except "once every year, and then not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people."
This we are told in Heb. 9:7, is an intimation by the Holy Ghost that the way into the holiest was not made manifest. No one had access there save the high priest, and he was forbidden to enter, save once a year; and even then his service there was of a very limited character. He could have no constant intercourse with God concerning his own necessities or those of others.
"Within the vail," (an expression thrice repeated in this chapter, is
a sentence which raises in our hearts thoughts of blessed nearness, and
happy confidence and fellowship with God our Father. To the high priest of those days, "within the vail," must have sounded somewhat fearfully upon the ear, since "that he die not" is twice connected with them, (vv. 2, 12, 13.)
Aaron is next directed to come into the holy place with a bullock for a
sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering. A dress also worn only on this
occasion is for the first time mentioned
.—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The
Lev. 16:1-3
The book of Leviticus seems to change its character and mode of teaching, after the 10th chapter. The sacrifices and consecration of the priesthood, which we have been considering occupy the first nine chapters. But when, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu, the priesthood had proved itself an utter failure, another course of instruction is pursued by the Lord, and we have first, descriptions of unclean animals, and next, chapter upon chapter detailing various uncleannesses—leprosy, issues, and the like. It is as if the higher mode of instruction had been first adopted by God, namely, to teach His holiness and hatred to sin, through the purity, and preciousness, and value of the sacrifices: and the priests having failed thus to learn that they had to deal with a Holy God, a lower course of instruction is adopted, teaching what man is, and what the world is; filled with iniquity and uncleanness. Then follows this grand chapter of the book.
In each of the first four books of the Word of God, there occurs one striking chapter to which we instinctively turn for typical instruction, respecting the great truths of salvation. The 22nd chapter of Genesis, Abraham offering up "his only begotten son," directs our thoughts to the Lamb of God. God's blessed Son, revealed to us in the Gospel by John.
The 12th of Exodus, is a foundation chapter from whence we gather the great truth of redemption by the blood, there for the first time prefigured.
This 16th of Leviticus which we are about to consider is the great chapter
depicting atonement and its results. It is frequently referred to in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Whilst in the book of Numbers we have the ashes of the red heifer and the water of purification in the 19th chapter, which affords us deep lessons respecting the constant defilements we incur, and the constant need of the blood of cleansing.
God gave the directions contained in this chapter of Lev. respecting the day of atonement, after the death of Nadab and Abihu. On the very day of their consecration (elated perhaps by the high position into which they had been brought) they "took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord." chap. 10:1.
Fire had come out from before the Lord and had consumed the sacrifices upon the altar. These two eldest sons of Aaron should have taken coals of burning fire from off that altar fire which had come from the Lord. But instead of this, they put fire in their censers which was common to them, but strange to the Lord. May we not regard this as another form of Cain
worship? Another warning against the Unitarianism, or Socinianism of the day? Cain offered an offering without the shedding of blood. His was a religion of works, though the name of the Lord was in it. His was not the worship of a false God—but it was false worship of the true God, worship which was not preceded by salvation.
Nadab and Abihu were quite correct as to censer, incense, and the holy place: but they did not recognize that it was the fire from God which had fed upon the sacrifices, and that no fragrance could come up to God from the hands even of His priests, unless through the sacrifice consumed in judgment on the altar. Christ may be owned as a true Christ. He may even be Confessed with the lip as the Son of God. Prayer and worship may be conducted in His name—but unless His death be acknowledged and trusted in, as a death in the way of atonement, a death not meritorious only because of His fortitude and meekness and grace, but of unspeakable value because God laid iniquity upon Him, and he suffered at the hands of God who made His soul an offering for sin—unless this
be owned, the worshipper whoever he be is offering strange fire, mingled though it be with the name of Christ.
This sin of Nadab and Abihu is stamped upon them. See Numbers 3:4; 26:61.
"Our God is a consuming fire." Heb. 12:29. Some believers are wont to say that "God out of Christ is a consuming fire"—but the word says, "our God." God known in Christ is a consuming fire. We read the consuming fire of His holiness nowhere so plainly and forcibly as in the death of His own Son upon the cross. We reverence Him and serve Him with godly fear because we know His solemn judgment of sin and of ourselves as sinners, in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God upon the tree. Nadab and Abihu were devoured by the fire from the Lord, and died before the Lord, instead of living before Him, because they had neglected to observe and use the fire from before the Lord which had consumed the victim on
the altar. The judgment of God must be seen poured out upon Christ as the sinner's substitute in death; or, the sinner himself will have to know and realize the fearfulness of it throughout eternity.
The words "before the Lord," often repeated in the chapters we have
been considering, and in this 16th chapter, are solemn words. Solemn and blessed if we have everlasting life, and live and serve before Him now and for ever. Solemn and terrible if we look at the judgment upon the sinner who has neglected or misused the great salvation presented in Christ, and who will receive his judgment from "before the Lord," and will be "punished with everlasting estruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power." 2 Thess. 1:8, 9.
"Speak unto Aaron thy brother." This is the only occasion on which Moses was directed to speak to Aaron his brother. The Lord does not say, Aaron the high priest: indeed throughout the whole ceremony of the day of atonement the word priest does not occur. It is only mentioned at the close of the chapter, vv. 32, 33. The death of Nadab and Abihu had made
manifest the insufficiency of the whole family of Levi to perpetuate any real
lasting blessing. This day of atonement was the establishment of an entirely new ritual, both as regarded Aaron and his house, and the people Israel. Aaron sinks ack to the mere brother of Moses. God had before spoken of him in the same way when giving directions for separating him and his sons off for the priests' office; and also for making the garments for glory and beauty in which they were to be consecrated. Exod.
28:1, 2, 4. Subsequently to this day of atonement the same expression is significantly used by the Lord when He directed Moses and Aaron to
speak to the rock, (Num. 20:8;) and when by their joint failure, they proved indeed that they were brethren. Also God calls Aaron the brother of Moses, when He tells Moses that he shall die. Numb. 27:13; Deut. 32:50. It was altogether a failing family. Like the law itself, those who had to carry it out were weak and unprofitable
Heb. 7:18. And this very addition to the law of another day, only the
more evidenced the necessity that another priest should rise after another
order, and not after the order of Aaron. Heb. 7:11.
"That he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail, before
the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat." Before this, it would appear that Aaron as the high priest was to have unrestricted access into the holy of holies. But from henceforth he could not enter there except "once every year, and then not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people."
This we are told in Heb. 9:7, is an intimation by the Holy Ghost that the way into the holiest was not made manifest. No one had access there save the high priest, and he was forbidden to enter, save once a year; and even then his service there was of a very limited character. He could have no constant intercourse with God concerning his own necessities or those of others.
"Within the vail," (an expression thrice repeated in this chapter, is
a sentence which raises in our hearts thoughts of blessed nearness, and
happy confidence and fellowship with God our Father. To the high priest of those days, "within the vail," must have sounded somewhat fearfully upon the ear, since "that he die not" is twice connected with them, (vv. 2, 12, 13.)
Aaron is next directed to come into the holy place with a bullock for a
sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering. A dress also worn only on this
occasion is for the first time mentioned
.—Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the Offerings, The